Attorneys: Ill. murder suspect’s rights violated

LINCOLN — Lawyers representing a central Illinois man charged in the killings of five members of a family claim evidence against him shouldn’t be used because investigators violated his rights.

The Pantagraph newspaper in Bloomington reports that lawyers for 32-year-old Christopher Harris of Armington claim searches of his personal records were an overly broad “fishing expedition” that violated his rights. They claim his arrest was illegal.

Harris and his 23-year-old brother, Jason Harris, are charged with murder in the September 2009 killings of Rick and Ruth Gee and their children, Justina Constant, Dillen Constant and Austin Gee. They were killed at their home in Beason about 45 miles northeast of Springfield.

The brothers’ trial could be two years away because of the thousands of documents and other evidence involved.