Arraignment was held in Trigg District Court Tuesday morning for the man charged with the September 14 choking death of 81-year old Thelma “Ileen” Barnett on Will Jackson Road.
District Judge Natalie White entered a not guilty plea on behalf of 42-year old Jonathan McCoy of Gracey and appointed him a public defender.
A preliminary hearing was set for Tuesday of next week. He is charged with murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, arson and abuse of a corpse.
An arrest warrant from Kentucky State Police says McCoy tied Barnett’s arms behind her back, strangled her to death and then set her home on fire with her body still inside.
Unrelated charges for possession of meth, tampering with evidence and misrepresenting facts to receive EBT benefits were forwarded on to a Trigg County Grand Jury following a preliminary hearing. Those charges stem from a traffic stop by the Trigg County Sheriff’s Office on September 22.
A woman who had been sought by KSP for questioning in connection with the murder of Barnett, 29-year old Keisha Stewart of Cadiz, was also arraigned and had a not guilty plea entered to a felony auto theft charge.
Her preliminary hearing was also set for Tuesday of next week.
