Following arguments from defense attorneys Sands Chewning and Daniel Whitley, alongside Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephanie Bolen, Christian County Circuit Judge Andrew Self ruled in favor of Bolen Thursday morning — denying bond motions for three men reportedly involved in the 2021 Princess Theater murder of Aniyah Collins and injury of G’Teria Acree.
Furthermore, Deovion Day, Zamarious Humphries and Jaquavian Spencer will be joined for trial: one set to begin at 8:30 AM, January 8, 2024.
Day is charged with murder, first-degree assault and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, while Humphries and Spencer have complicity to murder and first-degree complicity to assault charges — in what Bolen describes as a crossfire that caught Collins and Acree in the middle, and one that implicates all involved through a Snapchat video taken during the night in question.
Chewning is still awaiting an ethics opinion in regard to potential conflict representing Humphries and Spencer, but noted his clients had been in jail more than two years without manageable bail — thwarting defensive efforts for not one, but two scheduled trials that have been moved.
Whitley, meanwhile, noted that there was also still some outstanding discovery for ballistics and crime scene reconstruction, both of which would be helpful in the case.
He also said it would come out in trial that Spencer is the one who started the volley of shots, and that indicating response creates prejudice to a degree.
Bolen said the court was “talking about three convicted felons, who weren’t supposed to have guns anyway.”
Self agreed.
Bolen wanted to enter the Snapchat video into the public record Thursday, but was urged not to by Self, should Whitley and Chewning eventually opt to file motions to suppress the evidence with a future jury.
She also spent considerable time Thursday laying out the timetable of discovering that Day, Humphries and Spencer — along with a possible fourth individual — were all involved in the fatal altercation. This included the changing of Commonwealth’s attorneys from Rick Boling to her, the rotation of investigating detectives reviewing and collecting evidence, and a bevy of indictments that weren’t originally related or connected in any way.
This rabbit hole, she called it, began in March 2023.
In setting this new joined trial for January 2024, Self also had to address the elephant in the room.
What if Bolen isn’t re-elected as Commonwealth’s attorney?
Self set the next pre-trial conference on all three defendants for 1 PM November 15, one week and one day after the 2023 election.
