The Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled Christian Circuit Judge John Atkins acted correctly when he denied a request by Jeremy Demar to withdraw his guilty plea for the murders of two people in Oak Grove.
Demar broke into the Arkansas Avenue home of Dominique House on February 2, 2017 and shot and killed Christopher Hock, in addition to his estranged wife—Priscilla East. He also tried to shoot and kill House.
He accepted a plea deal in December of 2019 that came with a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, but asked the judge to allow him to withdraw his plea before final sentencing.
Demar unsuccessfully argued he felt pressured into making the plea agreement by his family and he was under stress by the prospect of spending many years in prison.
Judge Atkins ultimately ruled Demar had entered his plea voluntarily and that he failed to give a substantial reason for why he should be allowed to withdraw it.
The Supreme Court ultimately agreed with Judge Atkins, unanimously affirming the decision.