Originally scheduled to begin Tuesday morning at Trigg County Circuit Court, the Commonwealth’s case against Keyona Bingham has been continued into 2022— due to COVID-19 complications that have arisen within the impending trial.
Bingham is currently charged with two counts of second-degree manslaughter and violations against the conditions of her bond release, following an April 7, 2020 house fire on Jefferson Street of Cadiz, that claimed the life of her two children.
During Bingham’s last pre-trial conference, Judge C. A. Woodall heard the concerns of both public defender Mary Rohrer and Commonwealth’s attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins, with Rohrer hoping to remove some “undue prejudice” surrounding any admitted evidence.
That evidence included images of the children’s bodies from the court, as well as any evidence Bingham left the home on April 7 for illicit drug transactions. Bingham doesn’t have any pending charges regarding the alleged drug transaction or for any drug use, but Bingham’s reported negligence and possible actions at the time of the house fire are the main crux of the Commonwealth’s case.
Woodall ruled he’d review any and all photos submitted to a jury for content and count, but noted he needed more time to sort through any prejudicial concepts surrounding possible drug use.
The jury for Bingham’s case was dismissed from the courtroom before 9:30 Tuesday morning. Her new trial date was set for July 20, 2022.
