LINCOLN, Ill. — Records show a fund used for expenses in capital murder cases paid more than $500,000 for two brothers accused of killing five family members in their central Illinois home.
The Pantagraph in Bloomington (http://bit.ly/Ka6jL1) obtained the records through a Freedom of Information Act request. The records show the state paid more than $250,000 each in the cases of Chris Harris and Jason Harris.
The brothers are accused of using a tire iron to kill Ruth and Rick Gee and three of the couple's children in the town of Beason in 2009. They're also charged with attempted murder for an attack on the Gees' then 3-year-old daughter, who survived.
Funding for the case moved from the Capital Litigation Trust Fund to Logan County when Illinois abolished the death penalty.
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Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com