Child’s killing headed to fourth trial

WATERLOO - Stanley Liggins was tried and convicted twice in the murder of 9-year-old Jennifer Lewis, but on the third try, a jury could not agree on a verdict.

Judge Marlita Greve declared a mistrial Monday after the seven-woman, five-man jury could not arrive at a unanimous verdict after three days of deliberations.

Jennifer's mother, Sheri McCormick, and family friend, Mary Maxwell-Rockwell, cried and embraced as the judge declared the mistrial.

Scott County Attorney Mike Walton said after the jury was dismissed that 'we will reschedule it for trial and we will prepare for the next trial.” It will be the fourth murder trial for Liggins, 56, whose earlier convictions were overturned.

When asked if he was confident he could win a conviction the next time, Walton said, 'I am confident in the evidence.”

Liggins, who was being held in the Black Hawk County Jail during the trial, will be returned to Scott County.

The trial had been moved from Scott County to Black Hawk County on a change of venue because of extensive pretrial publicity.

Liggins' attorneys, Black Hawk County public defenders Aaron Hawbaker and Nichole Watt, declined to comment.

Testimony began Aug. 30. Walton and Assistant Scott County Attorney Julie Walton called more than 50 witnesses. Prior trial testimony of more than a dozen other witnesses, who have died or were unavailable for trial, were read to jurors.

Hawbaker and Watt called 12 witnesses.

Jenifer's burning body was discovered about 9 p.m. Sept. 17, 1990, in a field near Jefferson Elementary School in Davenport. She had been sexually abused and strangled before being doused with gasoline and set on fire, according to prosecutors.

A search for her began when she did not return home from buying a pack of gum for Liggins at a liquor store near her Rock Island home that night.

Liggins, who knew Jennifer's mother and her then-husband, was quickly eyed as a suspect. Prosecutors say witnesses saw Liggins in a maroon Peugeot talking to Jennifer, who was on her bike, about a block from her home before she disappeared.

Witnesses also said they saw the Peugeot near the school about the time of the fire.

The defense argued that police too quickly zeroed in on Liggins as their suspect, ignoring evidence that would exonerate him and trying to amplify any evidence detrimental to him. They argued police failed to investigate other suspects.

Jurors, who began to deliberate last Wednesday, first indicated in a note to the judge Friday they were at an impasse. Monday afternoon, they sent another note saying they were deadlocked.

Greve sent them back to continue deliberations, but more than an hour later, they sent another note to the judge: 'Despite our wishes to agree on a verdict, we are no longer making progress. Opinions and beliefs are firmly entrenched on both sides of this issue.”