A new trial date was set Wednesday morning in Christian Circuit Court for two men accused in the 2016 murder of 19-year old De’Andre Palmer in Oak Grove.
Court officials say the January trial date that had been scheduled for 22-year old Leonardo Miller and 21-year old Deqavion James was vacated and it was rescheduled for April 23, 2020.
Miller has retained a new attorney in Robin Irwin and there’s a case pending in the Kentucky Supreme Court regarding whether it’s proper to sentence an individual who was under the age of 21 at the time of an alleged crime to the death penalty. The Commonwealth is currently pursuing the murder charges against the two suspects as a capital case.
Arrest warrants for James and Miller allege they fatally shot Palmer in July of 2016. Police say they took cash and other items from Palmer’s pockets before putting his body in a closet. Palmer’s body was later moved from the residence and it was discovered a few days later by an Oak Grove police officer near Ghost Bridge on Carter Road.
Meanwhile, court officials say Judge John Atkins denied a bond reduction motion for Anshanique Leavell, who is charged with the June 6 shooting death of Amareya’ Freeman at an apartment on Greenville Road.
The judge reportedly said he’d be willing to look at the motion again if attorney Michael Thompson provided him with additional information.
