By AP/KWMU
Clinton, Ill – A mother and her former boyfriend today pleaded innocent to murder charges in the drowning deaths of her three children in Clinton Lake last September.
Amanda Hamm and Maurice Lagrone Jr. appeared at separate hearings in DeWitt County Circuit Court this afternoon.
Both are charged with nine counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of six-year-old Christopher Hamm, three-year-old Austin Brown and 23-month-old Kyleigh Hamm.
Hamm's attorney says he plans to request a change of venue in her case, while Lagrone's lawyer says it's too early to tell whether he'll ask to have his trial moved.
Prosecutors say they'll oppose any efforts to shift the case out of Clinton.
Judge Stephen Peters scheduled a February 25th hearing for Hamm and a February 26th hearing for Lagrone.