Crimefighting prosecutor. In be you are pillar of the community. I did what i thought was right. Then one day, the law was at his door. His wife was dead in bed. I remember crying and not believing it. Spinouts sudden. Suspicious. No evidence of a crime. Any signs of a struggle . No. Years past. He is extremely charming. We had the most amazing time. A new Detective Dusts of the old case. What jumped out at you . My first thought is we missed something. The manner of death would be homicide. What really happened in the bedroom . I wanted to answer all their questions. A young Mothers Death was a mystery but was it a murder . Tell me what happened to her to my face. Dont give me excuses. A long meandering lifeline feeding industry, towns, it runs through the heart of america. A long meandering lifeline feeding industry, towns, and imaginations. The Mississippi River gave us Tom Sawyer and huckleberry finn. Samuel clemens, mark twain, Grew Up in hannibal, missouri. Just across the river in quincy, illinois, lived another largerthanlife character. Curtis lovelace, small Town Kid who wanted to be a star and for a time, he was. Football champion for the university of illinois. Hes in allamerican . Allamerican. This is what kids dream about. He was living the life. Absolutely. Going to the nfl was a dream of his. Then he realized grander ambitions. Fighting crime as a prosecutor and serving his country in the National Guard and his community in politics. I am simoneau wants meaningful work that will make a difference in the lives of people. It is what happened in this little house in quincy, and one person in particular, that made curtis really stand out for all the world to see. Continuing coverage in the murder case. Right now, the defense is presenting its Closing Argument to the case. Big dreams and a mighty river can carry afar or they can drag you under. This is the very strange journey of Curtis Lovelace, All American the criminal defendant. Lets roll back the years to High School and to the woman who would become the focus of so much speculation. Cory and i went to High School together. We didnt run in the same crowd. We had some mutual friends and we did not date in High School. Back then, curtis was focused more on football than dating. It wasnt until he went to the university of illinois, roughly 200 miles away, and became a Star Athlete that he truly noticed the girl from back home for the first time. It was during a college break. Former classmates bumped into Each Other in quincy and quickly became an hour to them. Cory wasted no time spreading her goodness. Ill never forget. I was playing tennis with a Friend And Cory came over. Thats when she told us that kurt was it. She went to High School with the new couple. Surprised . Not really. They seemed a great fit and she was very much smitten. It wasnt long before cory was telling her Mother Marty that she had found the one. She comes home and were sitting there. She says, i met the man i am going to marry. And she kept her promise. In 1991, just after college, Cory And Curtis married. He studied law and she worked a small job to support them both. After graduation, they decided to buy a home in quincy. They wanted to be in the Neighborhood And Close by. It made it all the better. We found them a house. Virtually over the fence. Curtis ambitions drove the young couple. He became a prosecutor in Adams County State Attorney Office and Appleton School Board politics, winning a seat and serving as president. He even found time to teach a Business Law Class at Quincy University. And between the professional milestones, they started a family. First the Girl Lindsay and then three boys. Cory juggled that part of their lives. How was cory as a mother . Fantastic. She was a great mother. There wasnt anything she didnt do for those kids. Her days were filled with diapers, play dates and tantrums. This great mom never forgot how to be a good daughter. In early 2006, her Dad John was dying of cancer. That was a major event for all of you. That was a major event. Johns decline. Four years he fought it. She came every night at 5 00 and saffer like half an hour to visit. That was her time with him. Warn down with the stress of caregiving, raising four kids, was it any wonder that cory fell ill . It was the weekend before Valentines Day 2006. She was feeling poorly. Poorly how . Flulike symptoms. Throwing up. We thought she had the flu. On monday, the night before Valentines Day, cory managed to get the Kids Valentine cards ready for school the next day. Her daughter then 12 remembers cuddling with her mom, watching the Winter Olympics and the Snowboarder Shaun white. I remember watching him with her. Mom, he so cute. Is a 12yearold, that was awesome. Its not as if she was bedridden . She was just feeling crummy. She was feeling sick. That wasnt common for my mom. Even if she was sick, she took Care Of us and made dinner and did the laundry because that was her role. Went tuesday, Valentines Day dawned, Curtis City urged her to take it easy. We decided i would cancel my Morning Class at Quincy University in order to get the kids to school. Dad will be on deck . Dads time to get everybody up and running . Great. So i canceled my class. Helped the kids get ready for school. She did come downstairs to help out with that. He said cory is so ill, he had to help her back to bed before driving the three oldest kids Back To School with their backpacks stuffed with valentines cards. Within minutes, he was back, but the home was now filled with Something Else. Silence. Quiet enough to break a familys heart. Coming up. What had happened in that house . As i got closer, i immediately knew something was really wrong. So wrong it would tear apart a Family And Puzzle police for years to come. Every detective needs to keep in mind there could be a bigger picture. Bigger picture. Respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. Arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. Those with weakened Immune Systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. The most common Side Effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. Arexvy is Number One in Rsv Vaccine shots. Rsv . Make it arexvy. Air wick. Every year millions of noses are ghosted by their plugins. New Air Wick advanced. Our groundbreaking plugin that Pulses Scent for staying power, up to 60 days. Plus a fragrance boost button. Our noses wont be ignored again. What can you do with sensitive skin . cetaphil moisturizing Lotion Hydrates for a full 48 hours. Because a lot can happen in 48 hours. Cetaphil. We do skin. You do you. Dennis murphy the routine of the house was in a tizzy. Because a lot can happen in 48 hours. The routine of the house was in a tizzy with cory sick in bed, it had been up to curtis to get the three oldest Kids Off to school and now he was back. When i arrived home, everything was quiet. I assume cory was sleeping, resting. She hadnt slept most of the night and i was going to leave her alone in order to sleep. Before looking in on her, he said, he went over his emails in the kitchen then he headed upstairs. I needed to take a shower. As i walked up the steps, i looked to the left. The door to our bedroom was as i left it, open. I could see her lying in bed and i could see something from the distance that didnt seem right. What made you say that looking back . Im really not sure. As i got closer, i could see she was pale. She was motionless. I immediately knew that something was really really wrong. Did you think she was dead . I shook her. I called out her name. At that point, i knew that she was dead. In that moment, he said, his thoughts turned to his 4year old Boy Larson who was still in the house. I needed to get larson out of the house. What did you do . I grabbed larson. I believe he was in bed and i took them immediately over to his grandparents house. Cors Mount Marty answer the door. She remembers her soninlaw standing there with a young boy and saying something nonsensical about her daughter being dead. There he is. I open the door. He said something about people coming or something. I often regretted not putting larson down and running over there. She called her son. Corys brother had a dental practice. I got a Phone Call from my mom. Something out of the blue. Cory is dead. I just saw her a couple of weeks ago. A detective with the Quincy Police Department was assigned to had the death investigation. When he arrived, he went upstairs. He was in the bedroom on the coroner examine the body. He tested the Body Temperature by placing his hand against her abdomen. Was it warm or cold . It was warm. What did that tell the coroner . He knew the time of death for the body to still be warm was narrow. Is seen clear that Corys Death had been recent, within the past hour. Not certain how or why the woman died, the Detective Couldnt Rule out any possibility including Foul Play. Around the room. Any overturned glasses for signs of a struggle . No. You are seeing a woman who apparently died in her bed . And not that long before authorities arrived . That is right. There wasnt a single mark on her other than what appeared to be a Skin Blemish under her nose. And yet, there was something about the position of Corys Body that struck him as odd. He thought it wouldve caused her arms to drop but instead they were fixed in midair, hovering above her chest. I was looking for an explanation and i addressed it to Curtis Lovelace. I asked if there was a possibility that blankets had been under her arms when he discovered her . What did he say. No. The scene you are seeing is what he saw when he found his wife, by his account . Yes. The detective was able not to get hung up on one strange detail, not this early in the case. Every detective has to keep in mind there could be a bigger picture. A portrait of a woman, portrait of a marriage, filled with details painted in a most unflattering light. Coming up. A peek behind closed doors. You were drinking too much . I daughter mourns her mom. I remember crying and not believing it. Believing it. And they can show off clearer skin and less itch with dupixent, the 1 prescribed biologic by dermatologists and allergists, that helps heal your Childs Skin from within. Serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. Tell your doctor about new or worsening Eye Problems such as Eye Pain or vision changes including blurred vision, Joint Aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. Dont change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. Ask your Childs Eczema Specialist about dupixent. Air wick. Every year millions of noses are ghosted by their plugins. New Air Wick advanced. Our groundbreaking plugin that Pulses Scent for staying power, up to 60 days. Plus a fragrance boost button. Our noses wont be ignored again. Dennis murphy the quincy, Illinois Detective plus a fragrance boost button. Was trying to understand why a 38 year the quincy, illinois, detective was trying to understand why a 38yearold woman had died suddenly. As a look for clues inside the home, filled with the clutter of young family life, he noticed one item in particular. A white cup by her bedside. I collected unknown liquid that smelled faintly of alcohol from a styrofoam cup. The detective asked what was . Did he tell you he would like to have a Vodka Tonic . Yes. And thats likely what was in the styrofoam . Yes. Alcohol had been a constant in the home. There was alcoholism in our family. There was a ugly side of that. You were drinking too much . Looking back, yes i drink too much. Cory was drinking too much . Cory was drinking too much. It was impacting her ability to take Care Of things at home. He also told The Detective that she had been taking falls, sometime out of bed. The detective found at the cory had been battling bulimia. The picture emerging. Cory had not been a healthy woman. I know youre listening to the words but your looking at them. Why is he telling this and how does he freeze it . What were you seeing . Its important. I saw a man answering my questions. Not being evasive . Solemn. Upset. Curtis retrace the family steps. He saw his wife around the 15 and took the kids to school. He returned. He found her deceased. With that, The Detective finished the interview and left. Curtis knew his awful day was about to get worse. He had four children ranging in ages from four to 12 to look after. How do you tell the children . That was, i think to this day, thats the most difficult thing i have ever had to do. I believe i called the schools and let them know that i would be on my way. Lindsay, the only girl was the oldest of the kids. I remember being at school and getting the call from the office that i was getting picked up. In my mind, im thinking maybe my mom was in the hospital. She didnt feel good and maybe she had to go to the hospital. Once inside the principatos office, her father broke the news. And told me my mom had died. I remember my world crashing down. Did you say what had happened . I am sure i asked. I just remember crying and not believing it. We left. We went to my Grandmas House and i said i want to go Back To School. And i went Back To School. The day you lost your mind. That was a normalcy thing. In hindsight, she says, maybe the best thing she had done. Her favorite teacher had something for her. She had a friend who was caring wolf pups. Im pretty sure they lost their mom. What a jumble of things. That was the most comforting thing i had done was hold those wolves. News of the untimely death was rippling across town. Students from curtiss Law Class for the first outside of the family and authorities to suspect that something had happened. This class was outside the Classroom Waiting for him. One of his students was surprised to learn the class had been canceled. Later she learned why. Everyone was in shock. She was a very young 38yearold and seemed healthy from what everybody understood. It was a huge shock. It was said your Professors Wife had died. You didnt know her. I didnt know her and i really didnt know him at that time either. Soon everyone wondered what it caused corys debt. The coroner noticed some trauma. Abrasion on the upper lip and another mark inside that appeared to be a cut. Curtis mentioned cory had fallen the days before her death. Those falls could have caused that to the lip presumably . I wish i knew. But yes, a fall could account for an injury. The pathologist noted she had had a lip often caused by heavy drinking. The doctor labeled it undetermined. She doesnt know what killed this woman . That was frustrating. She does find a disease of the liver which can be associated with sudden death. Unusual for a young woman to die of unknown causes, but it does happen. Without more to go on, The Detective closed the case. Corys Mother Marty in shock could barely bring herself to read the autopsy report. Cory was drinking. We do not deny that. I didnt try to talk to curtis about that. Told him it was okay and would be fine. As she mourned cory, marty knew her suffering would only her husband was dying. We had visitation for cory and John Sat next to me and it was like he was say goodbye to friends too. He didnt come home from the hospital. Spent both losses one right on top of the other. Yes. Marty lost a daughter and a husband in the span of a month. She purchased two Burial Plots even though corys remains were cremated. That was a choice the entire family made together. The decision to cremate would be one that would haunt this town for years to come. Coming up. She was different than anyone i had ever dated before. Maybe that difference intrigued me. Curtis moves on, much too fast for some. Ome. [ Music Playing ] hey, flo. Cool leg warmers. Thanks. They are just for the Bus Ride to work. They are not part of the official uniform. No Tunes Today . No. My apartment was robbed last night. Took my cable ready tv, vcr, portable cassette player. Yup. All the latest tech. If only progressive had Renters Insurance like their home insurance. Then we could bundle our cars and get the same 24 7 protection. I think we just invented that. Huh. This is the best day ever. Well i still got robbed. Well still pretty good day. How do i love thee . Well i still got robbed. Let me count the ways. Love can get a little messy. Good thing theres resolve. Love the love. Resolve the mess. A 1,500 coat