Man accused of killing 15-year-old at Scott County sleepover pleads not guilty

A Georgetown man accused of killing a 15-year-old girl pleaded not guilty in a Scott County courtroom Tuesday.

Michael K. Davidson, 27, is accused of shooting and killing Morgan Penn, 15, on Saturday, according to police. Morgan was at a sleepover at a mobile home in Stamping Ground when Davidson fired a gun at the house, hitting the girl inside, police say.

About a dozen of Morgan’s family members were in the courtroom Tuesday. Morgan was a freshman at Scott County Ninth Grade Center, part of Scott County High School.

“Morgan was a very sweet girl, she had lots of friends and this has impacted so many of them,” said Brittany Hensley, Morgan’s cousin. “Our family is fortunately very close and we stick together in rough times. This is what gets us through.”

A GoFundMe page set up for Penn’s family had raised more than $1,200 by Tuesday afternoon.

“She liked to sing for people that she knew and had such a beautiful voice,” Hensley said. “Her daddy is a very musical person and she seemed to be following in his foot steps.”

Davidson was apprehended and charged with murder after a police chase ended at Capital Mobile Home Park in Franklin County, according to the criminal citation. Georgetown police initially found and tried to stop the suspect vehicle after a witness provided a description.

In addition to murder, Davidson was also charged with parole and probation violations, according to Scott County jail records. He was previously convicted of drug trafficking in 2014 and sentenced to 5 years in prison, according to state prison records. Parole was recommended in December 2014 with a proposed release date of February 2015.

Davidson’s next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 8. His bond was set at $100,000 cash.

This story was originally published August 30, 2016 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Man accused of killing 15-year-old at Scott County sleepover pleads not guilty."