A Macomb man has pleaded not guilty to the beating death of his cellmate in McDonough County Jail last year.
Timothy Smith, 41, also asked for a jury trial during his court appearance this week. He is scheduled to return to court next month for a preliminary hearing.
Smith remains arrested after Judge Nigel Graham denied him pretrial release.
Smith faces two counts of first-degree murder in the killing of Darrell Hocker, 51, of Macomb.
According to investigators, Smith struck Hocker numerous times in the head, neck, and chest early on November 8, 2023.
Hocker was pronounced dead at McDonough District Hospital in Macomb.
Smith was in jail at the time for domestic battery and aggravated battery offenses.
Hocker had been imprisoned on two domestic assault charges.
The court case was postponed when Smith was deemed unfit for trial and sent to the Illinois Department of Human Services.
He was cleared for trial in July.
Hocker’s adult daughter filed a wrongful death case in federal court, seeking more than $75,000.
The lawsuit alleges that keeping her father in a cell alongside someone known to be violent and mentally ill violated his constitutional rights.
The complaint names the county, the sheriff’s office, and the jail personnel.
The defendants’ responses to the complaint are now due in January, after the court granted an extension.
