CLINTON -- Maurice LaGrone Jr. will have to wait several more weeks before he finds out if his arguments for a new trial on murder charges will succeed or be rejected.

LaGrone's defense attorney Richard Goff asked Thursday for time to file a response to the state's arguments against a new trial. LaGrone was convicted in 2006 by a McLean County jury of the 2003 drowning deaths of his girlfriends' three children in Clinton Lake. He is serving life in prison.

Amanda Hamm, the children's mother, was found guilty of the far less serious offense of child endangerment and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. With credit for time served in the county jail, she was in prison about 14 months and released in August 2008.

LaGrone's petition is based upon his contention that he received ineffective assistance from his lawyer, Jeff Justice, when Justice did not ask that the jury be allowed to consider child endangerment as a possible verdict. In an affidavit filed in court, Justice stated that his interpretation of the law was wrong in that he believed LaGrone was not ineligible for a child endangerment charge.

After the hearing, Goff said he is eager for an evidentiary hearing on the child endangerment issue. Justice would likely be called to testify.

In a motion to dismiss LaGrone's petition, special prosecutor Ed Parkinson said LaGrone, now 34, received proper representation from Justice.

Judge Garry Bryan gave attorneys until Oct. 2 to file arguments. A date was not set for the next hearing.