After much deliberation from the last two days, Fenelon Peacher II testified Tuesday morning in Trigg County Circuit Court — confirming that Matthew Blakeley did procure drugs from him on July 2, 2021.
And less than four hours after a quick trip to Hopkinsville, Blakeley and Sue Faris were murdered inside her Cerulean Road home.
Peacher said he knew Blakeley from work, and had known him from 2017 until his murder. The two had managed prior exchanges, and on July 2, 2021 around 3:25 PM, Peacher said some marijuana was obtained — but an ordered “8-ball of cocaine” was not.
Peacher also stated he never met Landon Stinson, the man and relative who stands accused of the double homicide.
Following Peacher: a return from Kentucky State Police and lead investigator Detective David Dick, by call from Defense Attorney Bill Deatherage.
Deatherage spent considerable time working multiple angles of KSP’s investigation. This included Dick noting that Blakeley was likely the assailant’s “biggest threat,” based on the fact he had more than one gunshot wound. Dick told Deatherage that the small amount of cocaine residue — found in a baggie at the Faris house, and in Stinson’s bedroom — made his extradition from California a reality.
Furthermore, Dick said Stinson’s little red truck was “a mess.” It’s here where the clothes discussed on Monday were gathered and tested, no blood or gun-shot residue located. Dick said he wanted KSP to process the vehicle in order to “limit error,” and that there was no reason to test brake pedals and accelerators for blood because the Faris home was “not a bloody scene.” No bloody footprints were located, and the only large amount of blood collected July 3, 2021, came from Faris — near her loveseat.
Dick also told Deatherage that fingerprints couldn’t be obtained from bullets and casings that have already been fired because they would “burn off,” and he also told Deatherage that swabs from the back door handles would be “contaminated” as a major point of entry. The Faris flip phone, Dick said, also didn’t have a lot of data points save a call log — and therefore it wasn’t forensically extracted.
Deatherage noted the phones of Blakeley’s wife, Bobbie Jo Blakeley, and Faris’ brother, Robert Allen, also weren’t “pinged” to coincide with their alleged visits the night of, and Dick also said he didn’t recollect a conversation with Albert Stinson — former trooper and grandfather of the accused. Deatherage said there allegedly was “an abandoned white car” not far up the road.
It’s a car that may, or may not, have been linked to the “small, white sporty car” that neighbor Franna Johnson observed that fateful Friday afternoon — when she returned home from errands, and saw speeding out of her driveway. Johnson testified she saw a “white male” as a driver, but couldn’t recollect any other details on the vehicle — save a “tail spoiler,” first revealed Tuesday.
Deatherage also pressed that Dick and KSP didn’t follow other leads, and referred to Blakeley’s consistent text messages with “a Lee Sims, a Derrick, a Sir Josh, a Jarvis, and a Mike Brown.” Dick said for “all he knew,” Deatherage could’ve just been reading Blakeley’s contact list.
“You already had your man,” Deatherage said.
“All evidence points toward your client,” Dick replied.
John Mark Vinson, Trigg County’s long-time coroner, told the court that he was called to Cerulean Road early July 3, 2021, and arrived around 9:30 AM. Based on personal observation, reported family interaction and interviews with several individuals, he was able to determine an approximate time of death around 6:30 PM July 2, 2021.
Duncan Wiggins, former chief of the Cadiz Police Department, also recollected his time spent on the premises that July 3, 2021, morning. Called in by former CPD Officer Justin Rios, Wiggins said he arrived on the scene as support. He was off duty, had come from his home, and since it was an active scene, he was not in possession of his body camera.
Still, Wiggins was able to take a few notes and interview those present — and he testified it was “quickly realized” that a murder investigation of this magnitude “needed to come through Kentucky State Police.”
Much more remains, as the defense continues through and after the lunch hour.