Over the next month, dozens of witnesses will testify in an Ogden courtroom about death row inmate Douglas Lovell, who raped a 39-year-old woman more than three decades ago and later killed her in an attempt to stop her from testifying.
The evidence hearing could pave the way for Lovell to get a new trial — it would be his third for the same heinous crime.
The county has so far paid nearly $150,000 to Lovell’s appellate attorneys and investigative experts, according to February estimates filed among court papers.
The Utah Supreme Court ordered this detailed evidentiary hearing after questions were raised about the job performance of one of Lovell’s attorneys back in 2015.