Witness testimony has concluded Tuesday morning in the murder trial of Shakkory Willis, the man accused in the January, 2019 shooting death of Corvyan Thomas at a home on Short Bethel Street.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling recalled co-defendant James Yates to the stand after he said Monday that he remembered very little from the night in question. Boling had him read statements he made prior to taking his own plea deal, but Yates told Boling and defense attorney Eric Bearden that some of those statements implicating Willis were lies to get a better deal.
Seventeen-year-old Korey Ziviton, who took his own plea deal for shooting Dylan Stewart in the leg during the same robbery-gone-wrong incident, told Judge John Atkins that he refused to testify even knowing it could mean additional consequences.
Hopkinsville Police Department Detective Randall Greene testified about interviews he conducted with Willis and his co-defendants and said while there was no forensic evidence to put him at the crime scene, multiple witnesses did indicate he and his co-defendants were there.
The Commonwealth rested its case and the defense declined calling any witnesses.
Judge Atkins read the jury instructions prior to closing arguments from each side.
Bearden again reiterated that Willis was the outsider and wasn’t well known among the five defendants and it was easy at first for them to blame him to get themselves a better plea deal.
Boling focused on testimony from the two female co-defendants—Madison Wilson and Tia Ochs—who testified that Willis kicked the door in to get in the home prior to the shootings. He said Willis was the only person in the room with Thomas when he was shot so he had to be the shooter.
The jury was set to begin deliberations this afternoon.