A bond hearing was held via video conferencing Thursday morning for the man accused in the 2015 murders of three neighbors in Pembroke.
Bond for Christian “Kit” Martin is currently set at $3 million, which his attorneys argue is not reasonable. They called multiple witnesses willing to house or assist him with traveling to court dates, should he be released on bond.
Older sister Amanda Flagg is a professor at Middle Tennessee State University and says her brother could live with her and she has no fears of him fleeing or trying to avoid going to court.
His daughter, McKenzie Bennett, lives in Nashville and says her father can stay with her until trial. Both also spoke of Martin’s son and parents being in Nashville willing to accommodate Martin and the court’s needs.
Assistant Attorney General Barbara Whaley noted Kentucky’s current executive order prohibiting unnecessary travel out of state due to COVID-19 and reminded the court that Kentucky agencies would not have authority to travel to Tennessee to monitor Martin, should the need arise.
Whaley says Martin has previously opened up email addresses and Facebook accounts using false identities and she believes he’d be a risk of fleeing due to his ability to fly planes.
Martin asked to address the email accounts under other names, but was advised to first speak to his attorney. His attorney argued Martin is in danger of contracting the coronavirus in jail, though Col. Steve Howard of the Christian County Jail says there are no active cases there and there are stringent protocols in place to keep it that way.
Judge John Atkins ultimately said he’d take the arguments under advisement and issue a ruling soon.
Martin is charged with three counts of murder, arson, attempted arson, first-degree burglary and three counts of tampering with physical evidence. Each count of the indictment alleges Martin acted “alone or in complicity with others or another.”
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 owned by Mrs. Phillips. Martin could face the death penalty, if convicted.