A Macomb man pleaded not guilty in the beating death of his cellmate in the McDonough County jail last year.
Timothy Smith, 41, also requested a jury trial during a court appearance this week. He is due back in court next month for a pretrial hearing.
Smith remains detained after Judge Nigel Graham denied pretrial release.
Smith is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the death of Darrell Hocker, 51, of Macomb.
Investigators say Smith struck Hocker several times in the head, neck, and chest during the early morning hours of Nov. 8, 2023.
Hocker was pronounced dead at McDonough District Hospital in Macomb.
Smith was in jail at the time on domestic battery and aggravated battery charges.
Hocker had been jailed on a pair of domestic battery charges.
The court case was delayed when Smith was found unfit for trial and remanded to the custody of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
He was found fit for trial in July.
Hocker’s adult daughter filed a wrongful death lawsuit in federal court, seeking compensation in excess of $75,000.
The lawsuit claims that putting her father in a cell with someone known to be violent and mentally ill violated his constitutional rights.
The county, the sheriff’s office, and jail staff are named in the lawsuit.
The defendants’ responses to the complaint are now due in January, following an extension granted by the court.
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