A new trial date was set Thursday morning in Christian Circuit Court for Leonardo Miller, one of two men charged with the July, 2016 murder of 19-year old De’Andre Palmer in Oak Grove.
Paducah public defender Clayton Brown told Judge John Atkins that his office has been understaffed, but that should improve later this summer and he’d then need a few months to prepare for trial.
Judge Atkins vacated the August 9 trial date and scheduled a new one for November 29—though he also urged Brown and Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling to continue negotiations toward a possible resolution.
Miller spoke to the court for several minutes, against the advice of the judge, asking for his bond motion to be considered and claiming that his presumption of innocence has been violated while he’s awaited trial the last five years while incarcerated.
Judge Atkins told Miller he shares his frustrations with the delays and vowed to rule on his bond motion next week.
Miller claimed he hasn’t received a plea offer, but Boling said he has offered a life sentence on multiple occasions.
Co-defendant Deqavion James entered a guilty plea last month to an amended charge of first-degree manslaughter, first-degree robbery and tampering with physical evidence. That deal comes with a recommended 30-year sentence, with James having to serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole.
The Commonwealth says Miller and James each shot Palmer one time, put his body in a closet after taking his cash and property and then dumped his body near Ghost Bridge a few days later.