Judge denies request to withdraw guilty plea in Oak Grove murder case

The man who recently accepted a plea deal for his role in the July, 2016 shooting death of De’Andre Palmer in Oak Grove had a request to withdraw his guilty plea denied Wednesday morning in Christian Circuit Court.

Deqavion James and defense attorney Ted Shouse have contended that scratched-out markings on his plea forms made him confused about his timeline for parole eligibility and that was reiterated Wednesday morning.

Circuit Judge John Atkins determined James understood what he was pleading to and denied the motion.

The plea deal James took comes with a recommended 30-year sentence, with James having to serve at least 20 years before becoming eligible for parole. He had originally been charged with first-degree murder, but pled guilty to manslaughter, robbery and tampering with evidence.

According to the Commonwealth’s Plea Offer, on July 16, 2016, James while armed with handgun, was told by co-defendant Leonardo Miller to shoot Palmer when given a nod. When Miler nodded to James, he pulled the trigger and shot Palmer once.  Palmer was then allegedly shot a second time by Miller and Palmer’s body was eventually discarded near Ghost Bridge on Carter Road.