With the triple-murder trial of Christian “Kit” Martin a month away, defense attorneys are still waiting for evidentiary reports from prosecutors and police.
Defense attorney Tom Griffiths told Chief Circuit Judge John Atkins during Thursday’s court appearance they were made aware of a box of items that has not been inventoried by the police.
click to download audioGriffiths also said a laptop computer that was used by an investigator to obtain cell phone evidence was corrupted. That computer has since been sent to the FBI Crime Lab in Quantico, Virginia, and the defense has been assured a report will be made available by next week.
click to download audioMartin is charged with three counts of murder, arson, attempted arson, burglary, and three counts of tampering with physical evidence. His trial is scheduled to begin in Hardin County on May 31 after being moved out of Christian County last August due to pretrial publicity.
Atkins said he has been assured by Hardin County judicial officials that nearly 200 potential jurors will be made available for the trial. He added that he didn’t think individual questioning of jurors about their knowledge of the case would be necessary.
click to download audioMartin is accused of the November 2015 murders of Calvin and Pamela Phillips and their neighbor Ed Dansereau in Pembroke. Calvin Phillips was found shot in his home, while Pamela Phillips and Dansereau were discovered a few miles away in the charred remains of a car.
Martin, a former Fort Campbell soldier and later a commercial airline pilot, was arrested as he was ready to board a plane at the Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville.
Investigators have testified that Calvin Phillips was scheduled to appear as a witness in Martin’s court-martial two weeks before Phillips was killed.
The Army had charged Martin with sexual and physical abuse of three children as well as mishandling classified information. He was exonerated on the more serious charges but convicted of mishandling classified information and simple assault and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
