A trial date has been set for Cadiz man Landon Stinson, who is charged in the double murder of 76-year-old Sue Faris and her 28-year-old nephew, Matthew Blakeley.
During Thursday’s pre-trial conference, Judge Natalie White, Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins and Defense Attorney Bill Deatherage agreed on the two-week window of September 18 through September 29 of 2023.
In August, 56th Circuit Judge Jamus Redd recused himself from Stinson’s case. White’s arrival uniquely coincides with the circuit expanding into Divisions I and II.
Thursday morning, White said September is going to become a new trial window for the 56th, which as of now only hears cases in July, August and December.
Another pre-trial conference for Stinson was set for 9 AM, November 10. White acknowledged that a mental health notice, a list of expert witnesses, motions to suppress, motions in limine and other provisions are already in line before Stinson goes to trial.
Deatherage said he would have more motions to file in the next two months. Stinson is tabbed with two counts of murder, and one count of first-degree possession of a controlled substance.
Following Stinson’s appearance in court Thursday, his family members were allowed a brief, emotional exchange with him.
Lodged in the Christian County Jail on a $2 million bond, Stinson was extradited from California and back to Kentucky in September 2021. In December 2021, an indictment from a grand jury doled out a true bill for those two counts of murder.
Faris and Blakeley were found dead in her Cadiz home on Cerulean Road. Autopsies determined they both died from gunshot wounds.
