Former Northwestern Professor Charged With Murder Denied Release From Jail To Do COVID-19 Research

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A judge says a former Northwestern professor and microbiologist accused of a gruesome murder will not be released from jail. He is trying to get out, saying he wants to help fight coronavirus.

Attorneys for Wyndham Lathem say he has been asked to do medical research for another professor. They argued that Lathem's friends rented him a Chicago apartment where he could live with an ankle bracelet and court-appointed monitor.

Lathem is charged with stabbing his boyfriend Trenton Cornell-Duranleau 70 times in 2017.

His alleged accomplice is Andrew Warren. As part of a plea deal he agreed to testify against Lathem in return for a 45-year prison sentence.

Lathem has pleaded not guilty.