The Kentucky Supreme Court has returned a ruling on an appeal filed by Christian “Kit” Martin, the man serving three life sentences in relation to a triple-homicide in Pembroke in 2015—and they have affirmed the murder charges while reversing the arson charges.
In a lengthy ruling, the Supreme Court states that Martin’s conviction for three counts of murder in the deaths of Calvin and Pamela Phillips, along with Ed Dansereau, will be upheld, along with three counts of tampering with physical evidence and two counts of burglary. The first-degree arson charge and the attempted first-degree arson were reversed however, with the ruling stating that the trial court could have granted a directed verdict for those charges but did not.
The Commonwealth could choose to take Martin back to trial on the arson charges.
All but one Justice concurred with the ruling, with Judge Nickell dissenting. Martin was found guilty by a jury in 2021 following a lengthy trial and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with the defense almost immediately filing an appeal.
On November 18, 2015, Calvin Phillips was found shot to death in his home located on South Main Street in Pembroke. The bodies of Pamela Phillips and their neighbor, Edward Dansereau were found a few miles away in a corn field near Rosetown Road in a burned up car. Martin would not been indicted in their deaths until 2019.
Martin remains lodged in the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex.