Prosecutor to ask for maximum penalty in Marshall County school shooting case
Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Foust said Monday he plans to seek the maximum punishment of life in prison without the benefit of parole for a minimum of 25 years for Gabe Parker, the teen accused in the Jan. 2018 shooting at Marshall County High School.
On Friday, Foust filed a notice of aggravating circumstances in Marshall County Circuit Court in the case against Parker, a legal maneuver required in a capital offense case involving murder.
In the order, Foust outlined his case for the penalty, citing the offender’s acts of killing as “intentional and resulting in multiple deaths.” He also said “the acts of murder knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person in a public place by means of weapon which would normally be hazardous to the lives of more than one person.
Parker is accused of opening fire in the Commons Area of Marshall County High School, killing students Preston Cope and Bailey Holt and injuring 14 others on Jan. 23, 2018. A hearing in the case is scheduled for Friday, March 8.
Foust also filed a motion to set a trial date and a pre-trial schedule for the filing of motions in the case on Friday. He said he plans to petition the court to move forward in the prosecution of the case so that a date for trial is set that will allow for adequate preparation time for both the Commonwealth and the defendant’s legal counsel.
In his filing Foust said, “At this point, over 13 months have passed, and while pretrial discovery is not complete, it is progressing in such a manner to the extent that it is appropriate to set a trial date for a date certain.”
Foust indicated he believes a trial will take at least 20 days and acknowledged he expects Parker’s legal defense team to request a change of venue in the matter, saying he will address that in court when the request arises. He indicated he believes a good portion of the 20-day estimate will be spent seating a jury in the case.
The order also requests a scheduling order which sets a deadline for filing substantive motions, including evidentiary motions by either party which may delay a trial date. Specifically, the Commonwealth asked for notice of expert testimony which could delay a trial.
Finally, Foust requested periodic status updates to allow the parties in the case ample time to handle pretrial issues to keep the case moving forward.
Parker’s hearing on Friday is set for 1 p.m. before Judge Jamie Jameson.
This article is provided via the Kentucky Press News Service.