A possible reduction in bond is still under advisement for Karen Brafman, the woman charged with attempted murder and arson for allegedly setting fire to a mobile home with a family inside, but a new trial date was set in Christian Circuit Court.
The hearing was continued to Thursday from the last proceeding to allow for more information to be given to the judge before he made a decision, with defense attorney Eric Bearden saying she has two locations that she could reside, one out of the county, and she would be willing to find employment immediately.
Assistant Attorney General Jim Lesousky is now the special prosecutor in this case and argued that despite the previous conviction being overturned, or whether Brafman was intoxicated or not, it doesn’t eliminate the fact that people were in very serious danger due to her actions.
Circuit Judge John Atkins said he would make a ruling on bond within the next week, and then set a new trial date of October 18 with the expectation that trial could take two to three days. In the meantime, Brafman remains in the Christian County Jail on a $100,000 bond.
A jury in 2019 found Karen Brafman guilty of first-degree arson, second-degree arson and six counts of attempted murder and gave her a life sentence. She allegedly set fire to a mobile home on Princeton Road with six people inside, including four children, in May of 2018.
The Kentucky Supreme Court reversed the decision in December, saying she was denied a fair trial when Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling opposed her using a defense that she was intoxicated—even though he knew she had been at the time of the crime. A hearing on a defense motion to dismiss the charges will be held May 26.