Bonus Episode: Cory and Curtis Lovelace

0:00 Hi, I'm Tina, and I'm Rich. If there's one thing we've learned in over twenty years of marriage, it's. That some days you'll feel like killing your wife. And some days you'll feel like killing your husband. Welcome to a bonus episode of Love Mary Kill. Hello, my darling, Hello, my love. How are you? I'm doing wonderful? How are you going to be nicer to each other this episode? Carl, He's pretty nice to each other. Well, it is a bonus episode, a Valentine's bonus episode.

0:40 This case isn't super Valentiny. It just is. Most true crime murder cases aren't. Even if they take place on Valentine's Day, they're not really super Valentine's. This one really wasn't. But Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays. I love a holiday, but Valentine's Day. I just like to show people that I love them and I care about them. And it's just, you know, just nice, just to be able to say I love you to someone. And I know not everyone loves Valentine's Day, but if you do not have a Valentine, you can be our Valentine. Yeah, for sure, hang out with us today and I hope you enjoy this episode. So we're not going to talk about the weather. But it's still freezing here. But I know I complained about it for three episodes in. A row, but it's going on and on.

1:21 But this week we have a few peaks of sunshine and the temperature is going up a little bit. Nice. We still really haven't goune sledding, so yeah, maybe as it starts melting, I'm yeah, sure, why not? Okay? I did go once this winter. Well I went down the hill like twice by myself, and well, I thought, maybe maybe you're too old. Maybe that's it. You're too you're Are you afraid of injury? Yeah, you know what a hip injury is. At it I totally understand. That's it. So we are recording on Monday, February ninth, and the super Bowl was last night. It was, And you gave a bold prediction I did. How do you feel about your prediction? The outcome of your prediction? Not too bad. I picked the winner right, The score was off by quite a bit. I think I picked Seattle to win twenty four to twenty three. They ended up winning twenty nine to thirteen.

2:12 Okay, I stopped watching after the start of the third quarter. So I was surprised because it was nine desire. Six defensive battle. It was crazy, so I'm surprised they scored as much. It really wasn't the most fun game to watch, I'll be honest with you. Like games with a lot more offense are more fun to watch. But it was it was a good game. Well, you've been obsessed with curling. I know you've kind of taken me away from my busy curly curling. I know I'm not exaggerating when I say you are obsessed with curling. You have been for decades really, and it's been your dream to be an Olympic curler because. Well it's never going to happen at this point. But I do like to watch curling because when I do watch curling, I always think, man if I had taken up curling when I was young, I think I could have been really good at it. It's like right up my alley. Yeah, but it's fun. I enjoy watch. I know it's not the most popular winter sport, but it's just it's just fun to watch. Sure, I've been watching the mixed doubles, and they work together so well, they communicate and they're just strategy going on.

3:14 I should watch it with you. I do enjoy every Olympic sport. The Olympics just make me feel I think everyone says, like, Wow, if I would have worked just a little harder, I would have been an Olympic athlete, if someone would have just encouraged me along the way. It's crazy how dedicated these people are and how talented they are. But yeah, it just makes you feel good inside to watch the Olympics. So the curling team, you know there, I'm sure this is true of a lot of the athletes across different sports, but you know, they have like day jobs. They're talking about the. Guy, especially like the curlers. He's a realtor in Minnesota, but he does curling. It's like his passion, you know, and it's just so cool. We watched the opening ceremonies and when Sean White was talking about his life as a professional snowboarder, like I have never felt like further away from anyone when he's talking about, you know, like all the ting he does and how he rents out mountains, and it's crazy the difference between the life of an Olympic curler to the life of a professional snowboarder is so different.

4:09 Yeah, very different. I think about once a week we get a comment either on YouTube or Spotify or wherever that's like, why are you guys talking so much? I just want to point out there are two versions of our podcast. There is the Love Mary Kill Regular Edition, and then there is Just the Facts. So if you don't want to hear us going on about curling or whatever, yeah, then just listen to Just the Facts and you don't have it's all edited out. That way, it's the same podcast, just all our banter is edited out. But speaking of snacks, I brought you a special Valentine's Day snack and I think you're gonna like a lot. Oh boy, I'm excited. Are you ready? I am? Okay? Here it is. Oh you a cake?

4:49 Is that a cherry chipcake? I made you a Valentine's cherry chip. If you remember from Rich's birthday, I could not find a cherry chipcase and it didn't get here. Well, I found one on I found some on eBay, yeah, and bought them, but they didn't get here until after your birthday. So yeah, I just made that. I haven't made it yet, so I just made you a little it's a heart shape. You can't really tell because the heart. But anyway, I made you. Yeah, do you want to give it a little try? It's pretty big. It's it's like, yeah, I'm not even sure I can eat all that, but I'm going to do my best. Well, I think it's like three servings. Really, okay? Did you enjoy your cherry chip cake?

5:32 I did. It made it feel like it was my birthday. That was really nice of you. Thank you so much. But you're welcome. I love you well. I love you too. I'm laughing because we had to edit out your first I love you because it sounded like you never said it before. It's so awkward, but I know that you love me. Even if you don't you say it. We say it. Actually, probably say it more people. The microphone to an audience. In reason, when I'm at a store or something and I hear, you know, like a husband talking to his wife, And you can always tell like the people's relationship, because sometimes you'll hear them say I love you at the end of the call. At other times it's just I talk to you later.

6:16 You know, a lot of times it's sort of like a love you like it's just sort of thrown out there as I. Really do we say it every time we end a phone call. I don't think we do. I don't think. But like most of our phone calls happen inside our house, that's true, Like I'm upstairs in your downstairs, and yeah, so we don't really need to say it when we're in the same house. Guys. Any anyway, well, thank you to our listener Lindsay for recommending today's case. It's a story right out of a John Grisham novel. Hometown hero Curtis Lovelass returned to Quincy, Illinois after a storied college football career with a fighting a line. I married a hometown girl and started a family, then became a prosecutor and president of the local school board. Together with his beautiful wife, Corey, they had four children and seemed to live an enviable life. But on Valentine's Day two thousand and six, a day meant for paper hearts, chocolate, candle lit dinners, and whispered sweet nothings, that seemingly perfect life fractured permanently. Corey Loveless, thirty eight, had been sidelined all weekend with a flu. That morning, Kurt told Corey stay in bed and he'd take care of the kids. He rankled the four children, ensure they ate breakfast and had their Valentine cards and candy tucked into their backpacks. He drove the three older children to school, leaving four year old Larson at home with Corey. When Kurt returned twenty minutes later, the house felt unnaturally quiet after the chaos of the morning. Larson waited for him on the steps and told him Mommy wouldn't wake up. He assumed she

7:49 was just sleeping and went to work, answering a few work emails before he had headed upstairs to take a shower and check on his wife, expecting to find her resting, but instead he discovered Corey laying in their eye is wide open, but unresponsive and not breathing. Instead of calling emergency services, Kurt called his boss, John Barnard, an Adams County state's attorney, and told him his wife was dead. Barnard then called nine one one on his behalf. Curtis made no further calls or attempted CPR, and he knew CPR. What began as a tragic Valentine's morning would soon spiral into a decade long mystery, peeling back the layers, exposing not just a fractured marriage, but two individuals wrestling with private demons.

8:32 I'm sure we're going to get more into it, but that's a curious choice to call your boss instead of nine to one one in that situation. Yeah, And like I said, he knew CPR, but he didn't even attempt it. But he said when he walked in the room and he saw her, he just knew that she was gone. Nestled along the bluffs of the Mississippi River, Quincy, Illinois is a mid sized city of about forty thousand. It was once the second largest city in Illinois. It sits in the middle of the state, on the most western edge of Illinois. Once you cross the Quincy Memorial Bridge, you'll find yourself in West Quincy, Missouri. Quincy's proximity to the Mississippi River made it a popular place to settle, with easy access to both riverbows and trains.

9:12 Founded in eighteen twenty five, Quincy is known as the Gem city for its nineteenth century boom as a vital Mississippi River port, and its striking collection of historic Victorian architecture reflecting the town's legacy as a prosperous hub of industry and culture. Quincy carries the dual identity of being a historic, tight knit community and a former seedy rivertown, once nicknamed Little Chicago due to its colorful history of mobster's bootlegging and red light districts. Quincy was once host to one of Abraham Lincoln's famous debates with Stephen Douglas in eighteen fifty eight. Lincoln spent time in Quincy and had many friends there. Because Illinois, a free state, sat next to Missouri, a slave state, Quincy played an integral part in the underground railroad. With its charming neighborhoods, historic architecture, abundant parks, and thriving arts scene, Quincy is a place for tradition and small town charm blend with Midwestern hospitality.

10:11 A lot of listeners have said they like when we talk about the geographical locations that we're discussing. I don't always do it, but in this case, Quincy is almost like a character in the case the family in this case, their name is looks like it's lovelace, but most people say loveless. Dennis Murphy said, Lovelace but local people seem to say loveless, so we will say loveless, okay. Curtis Tyson Loveless was born in Quincy, Illinois, in October nineteen sixty eight. In high school, Curtis earned six varsity letters and track, wrestling, and football. He was later inducted into the Quincy High School Hall of Fame. Kurt graduated from Quincy High School in nineteen eighty six, as did his future wife, Corey Didrickson. Kurt wanted to join the military after high school, but when the University of Illinois offered him a football scholarship, he accepted and majored in business.

11:03 At the University of Illinois, Kurt was a three year starter and team captain. He earned two All Big Ten selections and was also an academic All American. Do you know what it means to be an All Big Ten selectionist? I mean, not exactly, but I assume it's sort of like you're one of the best players in the Big Ten. Yeah. His former coach John Mackovic called him the brains of the whole team. Loveless told the Bloomington Pantograph quote, I did not come to the University of Illinois as a star student or athlete. I think I've reached this point with hard work. Kurt had a shot as a free agent with the New England Patriots, but a knee injury took him out of contention. Corey attended the University of Iowa to study communications. She and Kurt weren't friends in high school and didn't begin dating until they'd reconnected during a college break, and then began a long distance relationship.

11:56 Their friends and family thought they were well suited for each other. They were very happy together in the beginning. Corey had an outgoing, adventurous spirit, always with a big smile, while Kurt was more serious, driven by a desire to succeed. In nineteen ninety four, Kurt earned a law degree from the University of Illinois and went on to pass the bar exam in November of that year. After several years in private practice, Lovelace joined Dot Foods in nineteen ninety eight, overseeing its perishable distribution center in Mount Stirling until two thousand and four, when he moved to the Adams County State's Attorney's office. Working as an assistant District attorney for seven and a half years, he handled civil matters and did legal work for the county board. Beyond his day to day work, Lovelace also spent twelve years on the Quincy School Board, serving from nineteen ninety nine to twenty eleven, including eight years as president. Kurt's father was a marine, and he'd always been interested in serving himself, but after high school, his football career came first. But in two thousand and nine he joined the Illinois Army National Guard, becoming a captain and completed Judge Advocate General or JAG training and worked as a trial defense lawyer, helping Army soldiers with legal matters. So this is three years after Corey's death that he decided to join the National Guard.

13:14 Which I mean, he's one of those people that just can't seem to be busy. In really very driven. It sounds like, yeah, he's. A single dad. Then to you know, three kids or four kids, and you know he still joins the National Guard. Wow. He also worked as an adjunct professor at Quincy University. Some claim that as his career success grew, he became increasingly arrogant and self important, changed those close to him say, altered the way he treated the people around him. Corey and Kurt wed on January twenty sixth, nineteen ninety one. Corey couldn't wait to start a family. Their first and only daughter, Lindsay, was born in nineteen ninety three. Three sons followed, Logan, Lincoln, and Larson. Corey loved the fast paced life of having a big, active family, but with Kurt's demanding career, she often found herself meeting the never ending needs of four children on her own. When Kurt was home, they fought often, and loudly. So loudly, it was no secret to neighbors that they were having marital problems.

14:16 In college, they were both partiers, but once married, the stressors of everyday life led them to become heavy drinkers. Corey also suffered from bolimia. Neighbors said the couple fought daily, and they often heard Corey yelling at the children when Kurt wasn't home. I point out the struggles that Corey was dealing with, not to disparage her, but she was human, she was a mom, and she was having a hard time. She was a very loving mom, but I think sometimes she had a lot on her plate and she yelled at her kids. We all yell at her kids. And if you don't look good for you, but most of us do. It happens to most people. Kurt's work in the Adams County DA's office and as school board president made the Lovelesses a prominent family in quinn See. While Corey focused on raising the children and volunteering at their schools and in the community, Kurt's demanding schedule left little time for family life, adding strained to the marriage.

15:11 With people like Kurt, I always wonder why are you so busy? He didn't need to be so busy, but it almost seemed like he wanted to not be home all the time. And his kids were little, and it was like, you know, he took on the adjunct professorship, and you know, the school board was certainly demanding. Yeah, and I just wonder, you know, why are you so busy all the time? When our kids were little. We tried our best to you know, enjoy your time as a family. Yeah, and it just seemed like they were, you know, go go go all the time. I think some people, I think it could be that he was trying to escape from his home life or didn't wasn't interested in being a parent. But some people are just really like driven by certain things and they just put those priorities first. And I'm not saying it's right.

15:54 Well, I might have misspoke. I don't think he wasn't interested in being a parent, but you know, he liked the things that kept him busy too, And he did leave a lot on Corey's playing. You know, she had to take care of the four kids and they were pretty close in age. So yeah, that's a daunting task for right. The weekend before Valentine's Day, Corey was sick with the flu, but life pressed on for the busy mother of four. On Monday, February thirteenth, she made dinner and then helped the kids finish their Valentine's cards. Lindsay, who was twelve at the time, remembered curling up on the couch with Corey after dinner, the two of them watching the Winter Olympics together. But the next morning, Corey was still unwell, so Kurt canceled his class, got the children ready, and drove them to school himself. Later, the children recalled Corey coming downstairs that morning to help get everyone out the door.

16:44 As months and years passed, their memories diverged slightly, especially regarding how long they saw her, and whether they remembered seeing her at all. This is an important part of the story. Lindsay especially would call her memory of that day a black hole. Uncertain of what she recalled. Kurt recalled to Dateline that Corey was so weak that he had to help her back to bed. When Kurt returned home from drop off, he did some work before heading upstairs to take a shower. He found Corey in bed, but he said she didn't look right. She was motionless and very pale. He called his boss, who then called nine one one. Kurt made no further calls and didn't attempt CPR, despite being trained in it. When first responders arrived, several noted Corey's body was warm to the touch, although coroner James Keller and at least one other emt disputed this and even described an unpleasant odor in the room and said that Corey's body was in full rigor mortis. According to court records, and Emt raised Corey's arms from a position on her body to a point above her heart so that he could attach a probe there in an attempt to revive her. Her arms remained in the elevated position.

17:55 Corey had an abrasion on her upper lip, just beneath her nose along the cut on the inside of her lip in the same area. There were no signs of a struggle in the bedroom. In fact, there were several cups and glasses on Corey's bedside table that remained undisturbed. One cup spelled of alcohol. Remember last week when I tried to smother you with a pillow, I remember that. I then put the pillow under your arms and I said, leave your Do you remember this? Oh yeah, yeah, we did a little. Yeah, you were a little scared, and I was like, I promise I'm not going to kill you. You didn't. But it was the thing that was so odd about this situation is that Curtis saying, I drove the kids to school and she was fine. Right when I got back, rigor mortis had already set in and her arms were you know, I'm showing you what her arms were doing, but they were almost as if they were like levitating.

18:45 You know, I'm not sure how six to nine inches above her body. Yeah, And it reminded me normally, how long does rigor mortis take to start to set it. Twlve to twenty four hours Yeah, it's not like you can set a stop watch and everybody is a little different. And we'll talk about that as we get further into the case. Just so unclear, were her arms in an elevated position when the EMT's arrived or it was that the empties raised her arm and it stayed up. That's the question. It depends who you ask. Okay, So this EMT, the one who put the probe on her, said that he lifted her arms up. That doesn't quite make sense to me that he would have to lift both of her arms. I mean, maybe he did, but he said once he lifted them, then they remained there. Okay, But other people said that they walked into the room.

19:28 But I guess it depended when the did the procedure. Yeah. Observers called Kurt cooperative and somber, upset about his wife's death, but not overwrought with emotion, although later his sons recalled that he was sobbing. The children's grandmother, Marty, who lived a few houses away on the same street, said that on the morning her daughter was found dead, Curtis appeared at her door carrying the youngest child, Larsen. When she opened the door, he handed her the child and asked her to watch him and said bluntly, oh, and your daughter's dea, then turned and walked away. She never accused Kurt of wrongdoing. She knew Corey wasn't in the best of health. Later that morning, Kurt picked the children up from school to deliver the heartbreaking news that their mother had died, but Lindsey asked to go back to school, wanting to stick to her routine and have the support of her friends. Corey's father, who had been in the late stages of cancer, died weeks after. They were buried side by side. Marty was heartbroken and soon she would lose contact with her grandsons too.

20:32 Corey's mom appeared in an episode of Dateline Sweet Lady, and she just seemed heartbroken, obviously over this whole situation. She never accused Kurt though she wasn't you know, she wasn't sure what happened, but it was just so odd how he handed her the son and just went on his way. That is very odd. Yeah, we'll be back after a break. When the deputy coroner arrived, he noted that Corey's body appeared to be in full rigor mortis, a process that typically develops over twelve to twenty four hours. However, rigor mortis can't be measured with precision. It's a subjective assessment influenced by many factors. Others at the scene believed that her body was in earlier stages of rigor. Corey's arms were in a partially raised position, almost as if they were levitating, as if there had been a pillow under them and it had been removed, and due to rigor mortis, Corey's arms couldn't be lowered again. The initial investigation was led by Detective Jeff Baird. He questioned Curtis and the three oldest Loveless children, who were seven, eight, and twelve of the time. However, he didn't question the children until two days after Corey's death, which called into question whether or not they could have been coached by their father in that time. They all recalled seeing their mother that morning, but had slightly different recollections. The youngest child, Larson, who was four at the time, later testified that he remembered try to wake his mother up by poking her after

22:02 his father had left to drive his siblings to school. He hadn't been interviewed at the time, because Baar deemed him too young. When Corey didn't budge, Larson sat on top of the stairs and waited for his father to return. I thought the scene was a little strange because I think a four year old would tell their father, well, mommy didn't wake up, you know, and then he would go check on Yeah. I would go check on you if someone if our four year old told me that. Yeah. But maybe maybe Kurt just thought, oh, she's sleeping, let's just leave her alone. She was really in a deep slumber. Yeah, that's why she didn't wake up. Probably, And just so I'm clear on the timeline when he finally did go in and find her unresponsive and he called his boss, So what time was that.

22:43 I think it was a little after nine, okay. And he claims that he saw her that morning and she was, oh, I mean sick but alive. Well, Lindsay said that she made breakfast for the kids, and they all had slightly different recollections like I saw mom. It's just strange because I know Rigormorts is different for different people. But if Rigormorris had said it would have had to have been at least a few hours, because that's what you'd think. Yeah. Kurt offered to take a polygraphic examination, but none was ever administered. There was trauma to Cory's lip, described as an unhealed abrasion, and a corresponding cut under her mouth. The injury did not bleed enough to transfer any blood to the pillow, but it could have occurred during a spill.

23:28 Her daughter recalled that she'd taken over the weekend. I think she fell out of bed, but such an abrasion is also common in suffocation. When investigators talked to the lovelace's neighbors, they learned that it wasn't uncommon for neighbors to hear loud arguments coming from their home. On the night of February thirteenth, one neighbor recalled hearing a loud fight while out on a walk. She paused, listened closely, poised to call nine one one if the argument escalated to assault, but ultimately continued on, concluding that the fight was not physical. This is February and the windows are closed and the neighbor can hear them fight, so that must have been some fight. Yeah, I think their house was closer to the sidewalk. It's always chilling when you hear people fighting if you're taking a walk or something from over our old neighbors.

24:13 Yes, I do. And that was always really yeah, it. Was they were kind of far They weren't far away. But it was, yeah, it was. It was a ways away to be able to hear them that we. Hear exactly what they were saying. Detective Baird's investigation into Corey's death effectively ended after about a month, ruled undetermined, technically left open. Later, given that Baird was a friend of Kurtz, the police chief and others would say that he never should have been the one leading the investigation in the first. Yeah, but everyone knew him in town. You know, he's this hometown hero. He is a prosecutor, so you know, a lot of people knew him. The autopsy was conducted the day after Corey's death in Springfield, Illinois, by pathologist Jessica Bowman. It did not reveal a definitive cause of death, but noted significant fatty lips disease, a condition often linked to heavy alcohol use, but also seen in many people who don't drink heavily. Corey's liver was twice the size of a normal liver. There was no evidence of petechial hemorrhage, which is present in about fifty to eighty percent of strangulation or asphyxia cases. Patkia are tiny, pinpoint hemorrhages caused by sudden increases and venous pressure, usually found on or near the face or eyes. Toxicology tests revealed alcohol in Corey's blood, but it was below the legal limit. Her manner and cause of death were both ruled as undetermined. Corey was cremated two days after her death with her mother's approval, or was she. I read

25:44 differing accounts about this, like her mom said no, I didn't approve of that, but some accounts said that she did. Okay. It's always so frustrating when an autopsy can't conclude the manner of death or the cause of death, because it's just he wants science to be so precise and exact. But especially when the body is cremated and it's gone. Any chance that you're going to have to ever find out. A coroner's inquest was held on March twenty third, two thousand and six. Although rare, many states, including Illinois, still use them. A coroner's jury isn't a criminal jury. It doesn't decide guilt or innocence. It's composed of a panel of citizens brought together to hear evidence about a death in return if an official finding about how that person died, especially when the circumstances are unclear or controversial. The in questions in Corey's case were in agreement with a pathologist and concluded that both the manner and cause of Corey's death were undetermined.

26:39 It's interesting, so the people that sit on these coroner's jury are just ordinary citizens without any kind of medical training or anything like that. It seems it's interesting that that's sort of the process, right. But the process is, you know, they're given the evidence, and you know, you don't necessarily need a medical degree because you know you have expert witnesses that are explaining it all to you. But again, it is interesting. Six months after Corey's death, Kurt began dating a woman named Erica Gomez, whom he met when she was enrolled in his business law class at Quincy University. They married on May tenth, two thousand and eight, in Puerto Rico. Erica told the Harold Whig newspaper quote, at the beginning of our marriage, he was a wonderful, amazing, man, but soon his alcohol dependency caused their marriage to turn rocky too.

27:25 After the wedding, Erica and her daughter from a previous relationship moved into Kurt's house with his four children. Lindsay Loveless recalled frequent arguments with her new stepmother. During one heated argument, Erica threw Lindsay's clothing out of the house. She gathered up her belongings and moved in with her grandmother, Marty. Lindsay's relationship with her father was irrevocably damaged. Lindsay was the oldest. Did the other children remain with Kurt and Erica? They did, yes? And how long after? It was about less than two and a half years between the time that Corey died and he married at Erica. By December twenty twelve, the marriage became untenable and Kurt filed for divorce, citing extreme and repeated mental cruelty. Erica accused him of physical and verbal abuse, sexual assault, and poisoning her. She also alleged that a woman named Christine Brewster played a role in the breakdown of their marriage.

28:19 After she and Curtis reconnected on Facebook in April twenty twelve, Kurt said that when he filed for divorce, he took his last drink and began attending AA meetings, and he has been sober since. Kurt forty five, was granted a no fault divorce from Erica forty on September twenty seventh, twenty thirteen. They were married for just over five years. According to Adams County Clerk records. Kurt and Christine Brewster of Minneapolis, Minnesota, applied for a marriage license in November twenty thirteen. They married the day after Christmas. The four Loveless children were present for the wedding, which included a special ceremony joining the family together. Lindsay was there and happy for her father and brothers. She liked Christine and was grateful to reconcile with her family. Christine and Kurt had known each other since high school and had even gone to their senior year homecoming dance together. The relationship was short lived then, because Christine's father hadn't allowed her to date in high school. While Kurt worked at his own law practice, Christine opened a bakery specializing in pies.

29:23 She adopted Kurt's three youngest children in twenty fourteen. Lindsay was already an adult. The family had a brief window of peace and happiness, but there always seemed to be some drama surrounding the Lovelesses. At one point, a rat was released inside Christine's pie shop. Surveillance footage later showed Erica's daughter purchasing a rat from a pet store just minutes before her friends entered the shop and released it. Wow. In December twenty thirteen, the same month that Kurt Lovelace married his third wife, newly minted detective Adam Gibson reviewed Corey's case with fresh eyes. When he saw the p picture of her arms raised above her body in mid air, almost as if they were levitating, he became suspicious.

30:06 He decided to pass the file on to two forensic pathologists to review Corey's autopsy results. They concluded that the findings were more consistent with smothering than with flu like illness, in part due to rigor mortis already setting in when emergency services arrived. Gibson didn't rule out a potential poisoning either. He was sure that Kurt had killed Corey, but he couldn't settle on a motive. He hadn't been able to find an affair, a big life insurance payout, or any other motive. Gibson drove to see Lindsay, then a student at the University of Iowa, her mother's alma mater, majoring in education. He questioned her about her parents' marriage, which she admitted had been tumultuous. She recounted the morning of Valentine's Day two thousand and six, Corey had made the family breakfast and helped them get ready before their dad drove them to school. Gibson asked her not to tell her father that he had been there. She wasn't sure what to think about his intentions.

31:04 Like, that's really underhanded, Like Lindsay probably is like nineteen at this time, and to go there and tell her, you know, don't tell your dad I was here. Yeah, that was a little bit shady. I think you said earlier that Lindsay wasn't one hundred percent sure about her recollection. Right as time passed, she became less sure of what she remembered. Yeah, understandably, she was what twelve at the time. Right. In August twenty fourteen, after presenting his findings to a grand jury, Curtis Lovelace was arrested and indicted on first degree murder charges. The chief of police admitted to Datelines Dennis Murphy that Kurt may have gotten the benefit of the doubt because of his position in the community. That episode of Dateline was from season twenty six, episode two.

31:48 It's called a Mystery on the Mississippi. The pathologist who performed Corey Lovelace's autopsy, Jessica Bowman, came under fire in twenty fourteen when Adam Gibson took a closer look at the case. Investigator said it was glaringly obvious that she mishandled Corey's autopsy and prevented a clearer understanding of her death. It was not the first time her work had been scrutinized. Several counties had severed ties with her, and she was no longer used as a trial witness. Most notably, she had ruled a two year old's death to be the result of a rare cancer, a conclusion later overruled by two other pathologists who determined the child had actually been violently attacked by his mother's boyfriend.

32:30 Wow, Yeah, that's a big miss. Yeah. Corey's cremation could only happen if the coroner signed off on releasing her body. That meant that at the time of her death, authorities did not believe there was forensic evidence requiring her body to be kept intact. Whatever suspicions arose later came after that decision, when the body was already gone. I am really interested in coroners, how one gets to be a coroner and how someone like why would you want to be a coroner? But in the US, a coroner doesn't have to be a doctor or a lawyer. It's most often an elected official official and the qualifications can be surprisingly minimal. They rely on police and forensic pathologists for expertise, but the authority and the final decisions are theirs.

33:15 That is interesting. I did not know that you didn't have to really have any qualifications to be a corner. Sometimes there are elected positions and it's not a well paying position. No. I think in this case, the coroner made sixty thousand dollars a year. Fatty liver disease alone rarely causes sudden death, but combined with bulimia, it can significantly increase the risk of sudden, unexpected death caused by fatal heart rhythm disturbances or severe metabolic imbalances. Adding a severe illness such as the flu, on top of fatty liver disease and bulimia can further increase the risk of death, particularly if the person is not eating or drinking normally. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, metabolics, dress, and increased cardiac strain can combine in dangerous, even fatal ways.

34:06 And you said in the autopsy they did find alcohol. It wasn't at a super high level, but. She did it not above the legal limit, as she had alcohol in her system. And on the bedside table next to her there was a cop that had some sort of drink in it that smelled of alcohol. Yeah, so she likely had been drinking even though she'd been ill. Yeah, and she probably you know, I don't think she had been eating. I think she'd been vomiting. Mm. She really wasn't feeling well. So all of that could possibly lead to a sudden desk. Yeah, and it makes sense. On August twenty seventh, twenty fourteen, Kurt forty five had stepped out of his office just after noon to meet Christine for lunch at her pie shop, Oh My Pie. When he was arrested for the two thousand and six murder of his first wife, Corey, eight and a half years after her death. Kurt told Dateline that he was completely blindsided. He had no idea he was under investigation. He thought the case had been closed years earlier. When he was late for their lunch date, Christine grew concerned. A local reporter called to ask her what she thought about her husband's arrest. She was gobsmacked.

35:11 Kurt was taken to the police station to be interviewed by Detective Gibson. Kurt described Corey's body as cold and stiff, with her hands up in the air, but he had difficulty remembering some details. They were foggy after so many years. So it's interesting that here he is recounting her being cold in her hands up in the air. Yeah, that is, but I mean it was eight and a half years later. Maybe he just remembered the scene after the medical people had been there. Yeah, that could be. He was held on a five million dollar bond, which he was not able to post. He pleaded not guilty. A special prosecutor, Ed Parkinson was appointed to handle the case due to Kurt's former employment with the state. Because of safety concerns, tied to his former role as a prosecutor. Kurt was jailed in a neighboring county after the arrest. To Quincy, Police Chief Rob Coppley said, delayed justice is just as important as timely justice. Meanwhile, the police went to Logan, Lincoln and Larson's schools, picked them up and took them to the police station for questioning without their parents' knowledge or consent. They were all miners seventeen, fifteen and twelve.

36:21 Huge mistake yeah. The trial began on Monday, January twenty fifth, twenty sixteen. Kurt, forty seven, faced anywhere from twenty to sixty years in prison if convicted. His second wife, Erica, was barred from testifying after the judge ruled her testimony would be prejudicial against him. The prosecution alleged that Kurt had smothered Corey late on the night of February thirteenth during a heated argument. Christine testified during his trial and expressed offense when the prosecutor asked if she slept with one eye open. She claimed that there was no overlap between Curtis's relationship with Erica and herself, despite their only being a three month gap between the two marriages.

37:04 But he did file for a divorce and it took a while for the divorce to get size. The prosecution maintained that the jury could not rely on the children's early statements to Detective Jeff Baird, describing them as inconsistent. Baird testified that all three of the oldest Loveless children said that they had seen their mother live that morning. Years later, at trial, Logan and Lincoln testified and stood by that memory, stating they remembered seeing their mother on Valentine's Day and saying goodbye, but Lindsey twenty two, couldn't confirm seeing her mother that morning. She hadn't talked to her brothers or father since his arrest. Kurt did not testify at his trial. He was stoic until his son's testified, then he was seen wiping tears from his eyes.

37:50 The prosecution's forensic experts testify that Corey may have been dead for up to twelve hours before she was reportedly found by her husband around nine am on fur February fourteenth, pointing to what they described as full rigor mortis. Pathologist doctor Michael Bodden testified that, in his opinion, Corey had been dead for approximately ten to twelve hours before her death was reported. Pathologist doctor Scott Denton testified that Corey Lovelace was likely killed by suffocation, although he could not rule out poisoning. Yet another pathologist testified for the defense that Corey may have died from causes related to alcoholism, stating his belief that she died from acute fatty liver due to alcohol withdrawal. The defense accused the prosecution of doctor shopping to find a pathologist willing to co sign the theory that Corey had been suffocated. Kurt's wife, Christine, and his sons attended the trial each.

38:46 Day, So a lot of pathologists testified at the trial. I feel like, if you don't see the body, it must be really hard to know. Well, yeah, especially when there's nothing left to examine either when the body was cremated. Soh you have pictures and you know you have the report. But we already know that the initial pathologists she wasn't the strongest pathologist and her qualifications weren't the best, right, So that's what the other people were basing their testimony on, was you know that data? So how do we know that you know that information was taken correctly. Yeah, it just seems like it would be really hard to find someone to get up on a stand and be confident in their conclusions that they've come to. But it's like you all, you always can find.

39:29 Somebody butt in. We talk about him. It's crazy how many. He shows up at pretty much every every trial where there's a mysterious. Right, you know, they portray themselves as confident on the stand though. Yeah, that's why I could never do that job, because I would be like, well, I don't know, could have been this, I could have been that. Yeah, I'd be curious to know the contents of her stomach. That's often a good indicator of time of death. Right, we'll be back after a break. So the jury, made up of ten women and two men, deliberated for sixteen hours over two days. On February seventh, twenty sixteen, they announced they were hopelessly deadlocked. Judge Hardwick declared a mistrial and set a new trial date for May thirty. First, Curtis was still unable to make bail and remained in jail. So that's a relatively short amount of time to deliberate to announce that you're deadlocked. I was surprised that the judge let that go. I think he did encourage them go back deliberate again. I think he did that a couple of times, but they were.

40:32 Like, nope, must he must have just known, like, yeah, they're not They're not going to be able to come up with a conclusion on this one. Juror Susie Koontz said to the Herald Wit newspaper after the mistrial was declared, quote, I would have found him guilty. Most everyone felt he was guilty. But some people, even though they felt he was guilty, they believe there wasn't enough to support that and they wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they chose guilty. She continued, I don't want people to think that we just gave up, because that's not what we did. We hit the stalemate early on and kept working to get through it. We worked very hard to try to find the right answer. The answer, unfortunately, was that we were stuck. Susie said that the jury had many conversations about rigor mortis, and they believed the children's memories had been planted by their father.

41:21 The first trial wiped out the Lovelace's personal finances and left them underwater on their home. Kurt could no longer afford private counsel and turn to public defenders. Christine didn't find that acceptable and approached the Exoneration Project of Chicago to represent him. John Lovy and Tara Thompson agreed to take on the case pro bono, along with Edward Downey, a retired attorney who had served as chief public defender in Adams County for seventeen years. Before the second trial began, special Prosecutor ed Parkinson offered Kurt a plea deal. If he pleaded guilty to second degree murder, he would Viva's sentence of approximately thirteen years in prison. Over the course of the case, Parkins had extended a total of eight plea offers with reduced prison sentences, and Kurt declined them all.

42:11 I think I would have declined them all as well. Christine and the boys had been without Kurt for twenty one months and were having a hard time in his absence. And poor Christine, she is raising these kids on her own and she adopted. She and Kurt were only married for eight months and she hadn't known the boys for a long time, so that must have been a super challenging role. Christine went to family and friends and asked them to pull their resources to help Kurt make bail, and soon he was free and at home with his family, but remained under strict house arrest for nine months, and he'd also lost his law practice and was unable to make a living during that time. In March twenty seventeen, Kurt's second trial began. It was moved to Springfield, Illinois, because there was so much publicity surprounding the case. The judge in the first trial hadn't allowed Erika Gomez, Kurt's second wife, to testify, but she was allowed in the second trial. She testified that he was an angry and violent man who had attacked her on numerous occasions, especially when he was drinking. She accused him of trying to poison her and her daughter, and I don't say this lightly, but she seems unhinged and she was overly emotional during her testimony. A friend of Erica's testified that Kurt treated her well during their relationship, describing him as a good partner, saying that he made her happy at the time, but after they separated, Erica became an angry and resentful person.

43:33 She claimed that Erica told her that she intended to ruin Kurt's life and his military career and prevent him from ever practicing law again. So Lindsay did not testify at the second trial, but Kurt took the stand in his own defense. He talked about his marriage with Corey, admitting it wasn't perfect. Quote. Alcohol was part of our life. She would drink more. There was a lot going on with the kids, and it all fell on her. As the children got older and involved in more activities, Kurt said, the problem grew. He said talking with Corey about her drinking became difficult because he was also an alcoholic. The jury found his testimony sincere and compelling. After only two hours, the jury reached a verdict not guilty. Kurt spoke with the media after the verdict. We've been praying for quite some time, and even when it seemed like things were going slow, those prayers were answered. God has a plan and we trusted in that and we would pray God would send us a message. I think one of the things that we learned through this is that the system is not perfect. It never was and it never will be.

44:36 But that's not because of the system. There is nothing inherent about a system, it's the people in it. Unfortunately, sometimes there are bad people driving the system, and that's when you get bad results. But there are plenty of good people too. In that statement, Kurt, I believe was referring to Adam Gibson, the detective who took another look at his case. And there wasn't a ton of evidence against Kurt, right, there was nothing new that came up right, right, He just saw this picture and he thought that it looked like murder. Yeah, I can understand that. So Kurt Loveless was now a free man, albeit a man saddled with an enormous amount of debt, a ruined reputation, and shaky career opportunities.

45:17 And how old was Kurt by this time that he got acquitted. I think he was forty eight or forty nine. It was still relatively young. In May twenty seventeen, Kurt Lovelace filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Quincy, the Quincy Police Department, detective Adam Gibson, police Chief Rob Copley, and many others. The lawsuit alleged that the defendants framed him withheld exculpatory evidence from his attorneys and unlawfully detained Logan Lincoln and Larson Loveless to try to get them to falsely implicate their father and their mother's death. He won the lawsuit and was awarded four point five million dollars. Oh wow, So I believe he and Christine are still together. They moved to Champagne, Illinois. First, they felt like his reputation was too damaged. They were tired, like people really thought he was guilty. I believe in his hometown and he opened a new law office, but he has since moved to Texas, where he continues to practice law. I believe Corey Didwickson Loveless had a warm Brice Mile loved listening to abba and dancing, and above all, she loved her children. Those who knew her remember a loving, devoted mother who showed up for her family, her community, and her faith despite her personal struggles. She was a member of the National Honor Society and Kyomega Sorority. She volunteered with friends and counsel, the Quincy Service League, Women's inter Denominational Bible Study, the First Union Congregational Church, and her children's school ptas, often

46:49 serving as room mother. Corey was a loving daughter, wife, and mother. May she rest in peace. So what do you think. Do you think that Kurt killed Corey or do you think that her sudden death was you know, just a sudden death due to you know, all the other health issues she had going on. I mean, what I really think is that the investigation was botched, or the autopsy might have been botched, but I think the EMTs showed up. I don't know what's typical in a situation like this, but it would have been a pretty easy thing for them to really note whether there was rigor mortis or not, right, yes or no, and if there was. But there's not an easy way to say, you know, she's in fifty percent brigor mortis because it is a subjective opinion. One thing that they could have done was taken her body temperature, yeah too, Yeah, because I think that's that is more of a precise Yeah, even.

47:39 If rigormortis isn't precise to me, it's I don't know. It just seems like the condition of her body would have been documented and noted and that would have helped. There are a lot of things that would have helped. But I think when you ask my opinion, of whether he killed her or not, I really don't know, And I think if I was on the jury, I probably would have found him not guilty as well, just because, Yeah. I don't think there was enough evidence to send him away for his whole life in prison. Yeah. There are a lot of factors that determine how soon a body goes into rigor mortis, and one of them is the amount of muscle mass you have. Corey was a pretty slight woman, so I think that she would have gone into rigor mortis sooner because she had less muscle mass, But also like she was dehydrated because she was sick, so I think that is also another factorate that would hasten the rigor mortis. So there's a lot of things that aren't necessarily.

48:33 Measurable right now that all makes sense. One hour, and I think that seems generous to give a whole hour that her body would be that far into brigor mortis. Yeah, that doesn't seem likely to me either. How do you feel about the children being such a big part of this case and them being interviewed after their mother's death. It's really tough. I think, you know, you have to interview the children because they are witnesses in this but you also have to take their comments and their testimony with a grain of salt, right, because. It just makes me so sad, you know. I mean, nothing is harder on a child than the death of their parent, right, and then to have to be interviewed and you know, to be such a critical part of this case.

49:14 Yeah. One thing that breaks my heart in this case is I don't know how much these kids were they able to grieve, especially Lindsay. Yeah, because Kurt, you know, started dating pretty quickly and being I think she was fourteen at the time, that's such a crucial age for young women. Yeah, for sure, and her stepmom, she doesn't sound like the nicest person, to be honest, and I think that, you know, they weren't given the opportunity to grieve. Yeah, that makes me really sad. Yeah, it is really sad for the kids all around. And you don't know if they were influenced in what they had to say either. It sounds like there's a potential that Kurt, you know, maybe influenced what they had to say a little bit, And it's just it is heartbreaking. Yeah.

49:57 I saw a lot of interviews with Kurt and Christine, they were. I think they were in the Daylin episode. There was a forty eight Hours episode two. I watched both of those, and they didn't show a lot of empathy for the children, and that bothered me. And maybe Kurt said it and I just didn't hear it, but he never said, like Corey, you know, I loved my wife. She was an excellent mom. You know, he just didn't really whatever struggle she had. I think it's important for her children to remember her and its positive as a way as possible. Right, she's still the mother of his children. Yeah, And Lindsay's Jill doesn't have a relationship with him, which makes me really sad. Yeah, Christine said, at one point, well, our attorneys told us like it seemed like once Lindsay said, oh I don't have a clear memory of that day, that they kind of didn't want a relationship with her as much. And that really bothered me too. And Christine said, our attorneys told us you probably shouldn't have a relationship with her, really, which I'm sorry.

50:55 Really disturbing. Yeah. So it's almost like because she didn't want to tell the story that they wanted her to tell, that they rejected her because of that. I mean, I don't know if that's the situation, but like that, So, yeah, I don't think that Kurt killed Corey, but I don't like him very much. I just don't think he's a very good guy. Yeah, I don't like him very much either, But I'm a little more on the fence about whether he killed her or not. I just I'm kind of fifty to fifty. What brings you to that conclusion? Just the rigor It just sounds like the rigor mortis. I can't get past. It. Sounds like they had a very volatile relationship. The you know, abrasion in her mouth. She had fallen out of bad that that weekend before.

51:37 Yeah, I know, I just think that all the factors together make me think it's a strong possibility. But again, I'm fifty to fifty and I don't think. I definitely wouldn't have convicted him. So I have contradictory opinions. One thing that I was like, she had a bunch of cups and there was pictures on her bed her night what do you call her end table or bedside table? Right? And if you I would think that though would have been disturbed if he had you know, tried to suffocate her, there would have been a little bit of a struggle. There was no signs of a struggle on her body other than the abrasion on her lip. Yeah, that's a good point, but that's also assuming that he did it while she was laying there in bad He could have been somewhere else. But it is a good point. Yeah. You would think if he did do something to smother or strangle her in bad that things would have been disturbed.

52:22 And it was Tuesday morning and she had been sick like the whole weekend, so I think by Tuesday morning she would have been feeling better. The fact that he canceled his class surprised me. And he said, oh, I'll take the kids to school, because he doesn't seem like the kind of guy that really was there for Corey and the kids. Yeah, so that surprised me a little bit. Does that seem suspicious to you at all? But a little bit. Yeah. Yeah, maybe I'm being too hard on him, But I mean, to cancel your college class, you know, someone has to be pretty sick, I would think, right, And it was probably The kids went to two different schools, and I think they were both within five minutes. So I'm sure Corey wasn't well, but she probably you know, still could have gotten them to school. Okay, Yeah, I don't know. Maybe I'm being too hard on him.

53:06 I mean, I don't know. I think it's definitely worth talking about whether that was suspicious, because it does seem out of character based on what you know, what you've told me about him. Well, like I said, I don't think that Kurt killed Corey, but I do believe that their relationship and emotional distance within it mattered. Corey needed support, connection, and care, and it doesn't appear that she was getting enough of any of those things from her husband. His negligence didn't make Hime a murderer, but still had devastating consequences. A parent can be physically present and still emotionally unavailable, and I believe Kurt failed both Corey and his children. That's a very good point and very well said. Well, that's the story of Corey and Kurt loveless. Let us know what you think. Well, before we end this Valentine's edition of Love Mary Kill, we thought we might tackle some relationship questions from real listeners who may or may not have sent these questions in okay.

54:04 Question one, Wait, these are questions you're gonna ask me to answer questions. Relationship, going to give people relationship advice. I'll have just say raf the bat that you should listen to Tina's answer, not mine. But go ahead. Why would you say that just. Because I don't think I am going to provide good answers. But okay, sale. Goes Suddenly you're humble. I don't understand Question one. My partner eats my snacks without asking. I've tried labeling them, they ignore the labels. Is this a red flag or or grounds for breakup? Oh? I thought you were going to ask if that was justifiable bu ho homicide if I was gonna say yes. But well, yeah, it's not a red flag. This is a crime. Communication is important, but boundaries around snacks are sacred place. So I don't understand why a couple would have separate snacks.

54:53 We share everything, yeah, except when you hide snacks in your drawers or in the laundry. Room solf Okay. The only reason I I do that, though, is because you literally say hide these from me. Yes, that's true, and we talked about this before. Like I can have like one piece of chocolate I have. Very little self control when it comes to those. You have a little bit of a challenge with that. Yeah, No, I actually appreciate you hiding the snacks when you do. And then sometimes you'll be like, can can you give me something? I need something? Yeah, and you are usually pretty good. About Actually I don't have any snacks hidden right now. Well, there's a couple of things. But but you know where they are find them later. No, you know where they are, though, don't you. Yeah? In general though, I mean, if you have a partner, you should be willing to share with your partner, right you should.

55:36 And if some if your partner is eating in your snacks that you don't want them to, you should communicate about that. Okay. Question two, We've been together for years and we still can't agree on the thermostat. What do we do? This is a big problem for a lot of couples. And again I don't know why. We have no reason to be answering anyone's question. No, we really don't. But yeah, this it's a tough one because it is. You can't like you have to have it one temperature another. You can't please both people. Well, you can have a fan if one person wants a warmer but then the fan kind of blows on both people. Yeah, I was gonna say, if it's really cold, like, you can always put on extra clothing as well, So I would tend to defer towards like keeping it a little cooler.

56:20 You don't like it to be cold either, though. I don't, but I am willing to accept that. I could always I prefer our room to be a little cooler. But yeah, I mean, at this time of year, our heating bill is ridiculous, and part of it is like, well, we can't afford for our house to be at seventy all the time. Yeah, so that is a real conundrum. Though I think the answer is just to have separate. Rooms so I get to I can move out, which, well, which one of us is going to move out? Because you both really like. Oh, I'm staying in the bad. If you're the one who doesn't like it the temperature I want it, then you should probably you know. That is very Yeah, that is a very rich answer question three. And my partner says they're fine, but they're clearly not fine. What should I do?

57:04 I think if I ever ask you how are you doing? And you say fine, I just say, oh, that's good and then just leave. That would be my advice. Sometimes a girl does just want her space and she wants to be left alone. But generally, if you I'm pretty verbal, yeah, and pretty forthcoming, I don't really hold much. Yeah, I usually don't have to pry it out of you. If if you're upset about something. Yeah, I usually tell you so, I think honest. But sometimes you have to evaluate your own mood and like, am I being grumpy because I'm just grumpy? Or is there something that's really bothering me? Yeah? You always have to ask yourself what's the cause? It could be tricky sometimes sometimes when I'm feeling grumpy, I don't know why. I'm just feeling like irritable, and I'm.

57:47 Like, why you might grumpy? Since twenty fifteen, that's true, you know, Well you're almost never grumpy with me, and that's all that really matters. You get grumpy with you know, maybe an acquaintance. Or wait, a colleague again, yeah. But never with me, because ever we're just precious. Well that's all the free Valentine's Day advice that we have for you, and you get what you pay for. Yes, exactly, what's your advice for the guys out there. When your wife says I don't want anything for Valentine's Day, don't get me anything. What does a man to do? I mean, if you said you didn't want anything, I would just say, oh, okay. If you don't want anything, then that's all right. You've just signed your JAT warrant. Though, then I'm gonna say I'm fine. I'm just fine all Valentine's.

58:31 I am completely joking. That is the wrong answer. That was a trick answer on my part. Do not do that. If your spouse tells you they don't want anything for Valentine's Day, I think you should still get at least something to acknowledge and show your show your love for them. Well, speaking of love, we love you guys, and we're so grateful that you listened. We hope you enjoyed this Valentine's Day bonus episode and I love you. Happy Valentine's Day, Happy Valentine. Next time, don't kill your wife and don't kill your husband.