Central KY murder suspect says Tupac, Christmas music motivated him to break into home
Trial testimony revealed the songs Shannon Gilday said told him to break into a Richmond mansion and kill a Central Kentucky lawyer in February 2022.
Tupac, Foo Fighters, Nicki Minaj and Christmas music were all part of a “random playlist” he said kept urging him to commit a deadly home invasion that left 32-year-old Jordan Morgan fatally shot in her bed. The home belonged to Morgan’s father, C. Wesley Morgan, a businessman and former lawmaker, and it featured a massive survival bunker underneath.
New details emerged Wednesday in the trial of Gilday, 27, who is charged with murder, three counts of attempted murder, assault and criminal mischief.
Kentucky State Police Detective Cameron Allen read aloud transcripts Wednesday of his first interview with Gilday following his arrest on Feb. 28, 2022.
In that interview, Gilday told police detectives that every time he would back out of his plan to access the $2 million bunker, the randomly shuffled music would tell him to kill them.
In on example, Gilday said Tupac’s “Trapped” played, which suggested “he had no option.”
And when he hesitated about his plan again, he said Ashanti’s “Baby, Baby, Baby” reassured him.
Gilday’s attorney, Tom Griffiths, explained to jurors that this thought process showed his client was mentally ill leading up to and the day of the shooting. Griffiths believes Gilday should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Prosecutors disagree, and said even if Gilday was experiencing mental illness, it wasn’t an excuse for the invasion.
Gilday spent weeks attempting to access bunker
Gilday told police at the time of his arrest that he wanted to find a bunker due to fears of nuclear or chemical warfare.
He found the Willis Branch Road home and bunker online, and began to make trips from his home in Northern Kentucky to Richmond to scope out the home, according to his interview with police.
It is believed that Gilday traveled to the Richmond mansion at least eight times before the night of the shooting, according to court testimony.
At the time, the home was listed for sale, and Gilday believed it was empty. But when Gilday discovered the home was occupied by seeing people in the windows, he made other plans to try and get inside.
He told police he first accessed the bunker’s above-ground exit with an angle grinder he purchased, according to testimony. After he broke through the lock and gate, he went through the tunnel going underground and encountered a reinforced glass door that he could not open.
Over the span of a couple of weeks, Gilday returned to the home and the tunnel door with different tools — a butane torch, hammer and diamond cutter — trying to break inside.
Once when he attempted to give up, he told police Nicki Minaj’s “Bed (with your name on it),” played, which he interpreted to mean he should proceed.
“Every time I didn’t want to kill them, my music would start playing shit,” Gilday told police.
The night of the attack
In the early morning hours of Feb. 22, 2022, Gilday approached the residence, where the Morgan family was asleep.
Around 3:37 a.m., Gilday left the property in his white Corolla, video surveillance showed. But 25 minutes later, Gilday returned.
He said during that time, rap music began to play about “doing this shit for the family.” He said he was persuaded to continue his plan because he wanted to protect his family from nuclear warfare.
So, Gilday turned around and shot through the windows of Jordan Morgan’s bedroom suite.
Gilday told police he thought the room belonged to a kid, because there was “so much pink” on the walls.
He was surprised to encounter what he thought was a kid because he thought Wesley Morgan and his wife were in the upstairs bedroom.
He told police he instructed Jordan Morgan not to move before she said, “Please don’t.” He heard rummaging downstairs, and shot Jordan Morgan 11 times.
“I am sure she would’ve cooperated, but I was scared,” Gilday told police during the interview.
Gilday later told police that he killed Jordan Morgan because he thought she would call the police once he went downstairs.
The trial testimony began Tuesday with opening statements and is scheduled to last a month.
