Man convicted of killing Washington intern Chandra Levy to remain jailed until retrial

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The man convicted of killing federal intern Chandra Levy in 2001 will stay in jail until his retrial in the high-profile case that contributed to a politician's downfall, a Washington judge ordered on Tuesday.

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Robert Morin ruled that Ingmar Guandique, 34, would stay in jail until the trial next year because there was probable cause that he committed first-degree murder, public defender Jonathan Anderson said.

A judge ordered a retrial in June after defense lawyers argued that a key witness had lied. Guandique was convicted in 2010 and sentenced to 60 years in prison for Levy's murder.

Levy, 24, disappeared on May 1, 2001, in case that riveted the U.S. capital. A search brought out allegations that she had had an affair with Gary Condit, then a member of the House of Representatives.

The married Condit, a Democrat representing California, acknowledged having a "close relationship" with Levy but maintained he had nothing to do with her disappearance or death.

Despite never being named a suspect, media coverage of the investigation contributed to Condit's re-election loss in 2002.

Levy's remains were found in Washington's Rock Creek Park a year after she disappeared. In 2009 police charged Guandique, who was already imprisoned for attacking women in the same area where Levy went missing.

Police came under criticism for missteps in the investigation, including initially focusing on Condit rather than Guandique.

(Reporting by John Clarke; Editing by Ian Simpson and Sandra Maler)