Those who lived with Christian “Kit” Martin when neighbors Calvin and Pam Phillips and Ed Danserau were murdered in November of 2015 testified Tuesday morning as the Pembroke triple-murder trial continues in Hardin County.
Laura Spencer is Martin’s fiancé and says she was the only person home when the Hopkinsville Police Department SWAT Team assisted the Christian County Sheriff’s Office in serving a search warrant at their home on South Main Street in Pembroke. After that event, the family never lived in that home another night and Spencer said she lived in fear that Martin’s ex-wife—Joan Harmon—was going to kill her.
Penny Cayce was a longtime friend and co-worker of Pamela Phillips and says they had only one conversation about Martin, when Pam told her she and Calvin were worried that Martin would kill them, and if something happened, she needed to direct police to the house across the street.
James Matlock was working on the farm where the burned out vehicle containing Pam Phillips and Ed Dansereau’s body would be discovered later, and says he saw Martin walking in that area on the Saturday before the murders.
Defense attorney Tom Griffiths questioned Matlock on why he waited until March of 2021 to tell law enforcement that information, and Matlock says he didn’t have any reason to tell authorities at the time because he wasn’t sure the two incidents were connected.
Lt. Scott Smith took the stand once again in the afternoon and reviewed camera footage from the Martin residence on the day and night the murders occurred. In one clip around midnight on November 18, 2015, Lt. Smith says you can see Martin leave his residence and go back inside multiple times.
Austin and Emma Spencer, Spencer’s children, both testified on the family’s movements the days of and following the murders. Others who testified included Steve Bollinger and Steven Durham, acquaintances of Calvin Phillips who said he also told them he feared Martin could kill him to keep him from testifying at Martin’s pending court martial on Fort Campbell. The afternoon included John Homick—the owner of the property the burned out vehicle was located on—Earl Jett, who discovered the vehicle, and a salesperson from an AT&T that examined Pam Phillips’ phone.