QUINCY, Ill. (AP) — A judge in western Illinois has agreed to move the retrial of a former prosecutor accused of killing his wife.

Curtis Lovelace’s defense attorneys pushed to have the proceedings moved from Adams County after a survey showed most residents had heard of the case and a third had an opinion on his guilt or innocence. His attorneys argued he would not get a fair trial.

The Quincy Herald-Whig reports that Adams County Circuit Judge Bob Hardwick ruled Friday the trial would be moved to Sangamon County in the 7th Judicial Circuit. It will begin Jan. 23.

Lovelace is charged with first-degree murder. He’s accused of using a pillow to suffocate his first wife, Cory Lovelace, in 2006.

The jury in his first trial failed to reach a verdict.