The litigation surrounding Landon W. Stinson is far from finished.
Convicted of the 2021 Cadiz double homicide of family members Sue Faris and Matthew Blakeley, with suggested consecutive life sentences with no parole, defense attorneys Bill Deatherage and Chris Woodall entered two motions to Judge Natalie White and Trigg County Circuit Court Wednesday afternoon — seeking judgment of acquittal and a new trial.
Deatherage said his office deemed the measures necessary base on three grounds of belief:
1) Kentucky State Police Detective David Dick’s conduct and actions during the trial were “unreasonable” and “prejudicial.”
2) The lengthy, exhaustive trial led to inattentive jurors — with one unnamed man allegedly “sleeping” during testimony.
And 3) a cumulative effect of combined errors, particularly in KSP’s investigation, led jurors to the wrong conclusion.
A number of witnesses called by Deatherage attested and alleged an emotional, potentially distracting Dick — who, at times, quietly mouthed, shook his head or leaned deeply in his chair during certain key moments of the trial.
Those witnesses involved a long list of individuals seated on the right side of the court room during most, if not all, of the trial, and mainly were supporters or under the hire of Stinson.
This included:
— Woodall
— Angela Fish, a family friend
— Sandra Carneyhan, Stinson’s aunt
— Katelynn Schiro, Stinson’s sister
— Rhonda Neighbors, Stinson’s mother
— Taylor Creed, Stinson’s close friend
— and Cathy Cravens, Creed’s mother
Commonwealth’s Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins brought about a stern line of questioning to all of them, but particularly Carneyhan, pointing out that witnesses didn’t see jurors faces, nor could they attest to a juror’s thoughts.
Deatherage also brought forth Trigg County Sheriff’s Office Court Security Bailiff Melissa Brown, who testified that one unnamed male juror — sitting closely to the Commonwealth during the trial — not only had to be admonished for lack of attentiveness, but at times seemed to be asleep.
Deatherage also brought forth a bevy of concerns he’d raised both prior and during the trial, including the lack of a murder weapon, the lack of motive, the lack of extensive DNA testing on victim’s clothing and Cerulean Road door handles, and a less-than-100-percent ballistics test.
Ovey-Wiggins countered, noting that these issues are only being raised post-conviction and without the push for a mistrial — which she said could have occurred mid throes.
Stinson, who was supposed to be formally sentenced last November, now has an official sentencing set for 1 PM January 10. White said she may not have a written decision completed by then.
FULL HEARING:
