Third delay for Billy Varner murder trial

WAUKEGAN, Ill. -- A trial has been delayed a third time for a suburban Chicago man accused of killing his wife and mother.

The Daily Herald reports Billy Varner's trial was delayed Tuesday until Sept. 8. It previously was March 3 and May 27. Varner's defense attorney Thomas Meyers requested the latest delay in Lake County court. Meyers says his office needs more time to investigate the case.

The 55-year-old Antioch man is accused of killing his wife, Peggy Henderson, and his mother, Dorothy Varner. Their bodies were discovered Oct. 28 in Lake County.

Prosecutors say Henderson was nearly decapitated with a machete. They say Dorothy Varner was suffocated two days later after she became suspicious.

Varner has pleaded not guilty. He is held in the Lake County jail without bond.