A Scott County judge has set a date for the third murder trial of Stanley Liggins. At a hearing this morning in Davenport, Judge Marlita Greve ordered the trial to be held on August 28th.
Juries have twice convicted Liggins for the death of nine-year-old Jennifer Lewis, who disappeared from her Rock Island neighborhood in 1990. Her body was found in a fire near a Davenport elementary school.
The Iowa Supreme Court overturned Liggins' first conviction in 1993. Then in November 2013, the Iowa Court of Appeals vacated his second conviction. Last winter, Greve granted Liggins' motion for a change of venue and moved the trial to Black Hawk County because of pre-trial publicity.
He also fired his defense attorney, and the judge also granted Liggins' new lawyer's request for more time to learn about the case.
His next court appearance is set for May 22nd in Scott County.
