A former Army major convicted in the Pembroke triple murder case, will not get a new trial after a ruling by a Christian Circuit Court judge Thursday afternoon.
In June, a Hardin County jury found Christian “Kit” Martin guilty on all charges for the November 2015 murders of Calvin and Pamela Phillips and their neighbor Ed Dansereau in Pembroke. Calvin Phillips was found shot in his home, while his wife Pamela and Dansereau were discovered several hours later a few miles away on Rosetown Road in the burned remains of a car.
During the hearing Thursday, Martin’s defense attorney Douglas Moore presented arguments that prosecutors misled the jury and committed “prosecutorial misconduct” with misstatements regarding cell phone evidence and the results of DNA testing of hair.
Assistant Attorney General Alex Garcia said all the grounds asserted by the defendant during the hearing were all thoroughly litigated during the trial.
After hearing both sides, Chief Circuit Judge John Atkins, who presided over the trial, denied both motions.
The Hardin County jury found Martin guilty on ten charges including three counts of complicity to murder and recommended life in prison without parole.
To hear Thursday’s hearing in its entirety, click on the link below: