Man accused of 5 deaths appears in court

LINCOLN, Ill. - Christopher Harris maintains he had nothing to do with the deaths of five people in a central Illinois farming town and he hopes to tap into a government fund for death penalty cases to help prove his innocence, his attorney said Tuesday.

Harris, 30, appeared briefly in court, clad in black-and-white stripes and shackled at the waist. After the judge ordered a preliminary hearing for Oct. 28, Harris waved at the friends and family who showed up at the courtroom to offer their support.

Hugging and teary-eyed after the status hearing, they declined to comment.

Harris was arrested last week and charged with killing Raymond and Ruth Gee and three of their children in the town of Beason, about 35 miles northeast of Springfield. Harris was once married to Raymond Gee's daughter Nicole, who wasn't a victim of the attack. Family members have said the couple recently reconciled.

"He's got the support of his family, both the Harris family and the Gee family," said Tim Timoney, the Springfield attorney appointed to defend Harris. "He's persisting in his innocence. He persists that he had nothing to do with the killings of the Gee family."

Timoney said if a judge finds probable cause to continue with the case, Harris will plead not guilty and apply for aid from the state's Capital Litigation Trust Fund, which helps defendants pay for the complex, expensive process of fighting death penalty cases. Timoney said he envisions adding two or three attorneys, plus investigators.

Raymond "Rick" Gee, 46, and Ruth Gee, 39, were found dead in their home Sept. 21 with their children, 16-year-old Justina Constant, 14-year-old Dillen Constant and 11-year-old Austin Gee. Police have said they were killed by blunt force trauma preceded by a "violent struggle."

A 3-year-old daughter was found alive but seriously injured.