Suspect in deadly Berea bank robbery makes first court appearance. What happens next
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- An 18-year-old suspect, Brailen Weaver, made his first federal court appearance Monday.
- Weaver faces charges including armed bank robbery and causing death with a firearm.
- A May 12 preliminary hearing will determine if evidence is sent to a grand jury.
The 18-year-old suspect who shot and killed two bank employees during a bank robbery in Berea Thursday made his first appearance in federal court Monday.
Brailen Weaver appeared in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky Monday afternoon for his initial appearance in the case related to last week’s alleged crime. Weaver is accused of entering the bank, fatally shooting Breanna Edwards and Brian Switzer and leading officers on a high-speed chase before his later arrest.
Weaver is charged with armed bank robbery, use or discharge of a firearm in a crime of violence and causing death with firearm in the course of a crime of violence, according to federal prosecutors. Attorney General Russell Coleman said he plans to pursue state murder charges against Weaver too.
Weaver appeared alongside his court-appointed lawyers, Patrick Nash and Thomas Lyons, and answered several questions from Magistrate Judge Matthew Stinnett about his rights. Weaver waived his right to a detention hearing, meaning he will remain in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service while his case is ongoing.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for May 12. Additional evidence about the crime is expected to be revealed at the hearing, and Stinnett will decide whether there is probable cause for the charges.
The incident happened around 2 p.m. Thursday, April 30, at the U.S. Bank on Chestnut Street in Berea. A federal affidavit says Weaver entered the bank, shot and killed Switzer, and shot and killed Edwards shortly afterward.
After shooting Switzer and Edwards, Weaver checked multiple drawers and fled the bank. Officials identified him as the suspect through the vehicle he fled in and social media posts, according to the affidavit.
The FBI found Weaver’s vehicle on Interstate 75 Thursday night and tried to chase it, but the affidavit says he drove faster than 100 mph and avoided a set of spike strips before exiting the interstate at exit 115 in Lexington. Kentucky State Police previously said the pursuit ended on Bryan Station Road and Weaver fled on foot.
The affidavit says officials found a gun inside his car. Weaver was arrested around 3 a.m. Friday.
