Conrad guilty, convicted of manslaughter
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
March 22, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/032216_PS_Conrad_Verdict
Kat Russell / The Paducah Sun
It took less than three hours Monday for a jury of five women and seven men to find Jeffrey Conrad guilty of second-degree manslaughter and recommend he serve 7 1/2 years in prison.
Conrad, 49, was initially charged with murder after he shot and killed Garlon Casey Cox, 31, last June at a Reidland storage facility.
Conrad had caught Cox and Brandon York, 36, stealing from his storage unit when the shooting occurred. Throughout his case, Conrad has maintained he shot Cox to protect his ex-girlfriend, who was helping him move that morning.
In court Monday, both sides presented closing statements to the jury.
Defense attorney Doug Moore reminded jurors that they had a serious task at hand.
"This is the most important day of Jeff's life," Moore said.
"Casey Cox is gone. Your decision today is not going to bring him back ... But your decision regarding Jeff is almost literally a decision between life and death. Today you're going to tell Jeff whether he can return to his life or go to prison."
Moore recounted Conrad's story for the jury, emphasizing that York and Cox were caught burglarizing Conrad's storage unit, something both had been previously convicted of in other counties.
Moore also emphasized Cox's and York's drug use and the fact that large amounts of methamphetamine and lorazepam were found in Cox's body during the autopsy.
"What happened to Casey Cox was bound to happen," Moore said. "Sooner or later Brandon York and Casey Cox were going to run in to the owner or the renter of a storage unit as they were burglarizing it. This was always going to happen."
Reiterating his client's story, Moore told the jury that Conrad and his friend Melissa "Missy" McKendree went to the storage facility early that morning and encountered Cox and York closing the door to Conrad's unit. Conrad said he saw several of his possessions in the back of Cox's truck, drew his gun and told them to freeze, but they ignored him. Cox got into his truck, Moore said, and started backing up in McKendree's direction, prompting Conrad to shoot.
"(Conrad) told you the reason he fired," Moore said. "It wasn't to kill. It wasn't even to injure Mr. Cox. It was to stop the truck from moving directly at his friend Missy."
"Jeff and Missy didn't ask for any of this. They didn't get up on June 8, 2015, looking for trouble. Jeff didn't get up looking to kill somebody on June 8, 2015 ... This was a day he going to get a truckload of furniture moved into his storage unit and go on with his life, but that didn't happen because of Brandon York and Casey Cox."
Finally, Moore asked the jury to consider his client's actions following the shooting. Conrad didn't flee, he said. Instead he called 911 and waited for the police to arrive.
"These are not the actions of someone who had just committed murder," Moore said.
When it was his turn, Commonwealth Attorney Dan Boaz disputed much of Moore's statement, accusing the defense attorney of trying to distract the jury with Cox's and York's crimes.
"What we're talking about today is murder, plain and simple," Boaz said. "We're talking about somebody taking somebody else's life."
Boaz again argued Conrad shot Cox because Cox disobeyed his orders to stop and get on the ground. He reminded the jury that, after the shooting, McKendree had told officers at the scene she was not afraid for her life. The prosecutor also disputed Moore's claim that Conrad had fired his weapon without the intention to cause harm.
"When Jeffrey Conrad pointed (his) gun at Casey Cox's head ... he knew what would happen if he pulled the trigger," Boaz said. "He intended to shoot Casey Cox in the head. He may say he didn't, but he did. That's what you do when you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger."
Boaz said he agreed Cox and York had made bad decisions, adding had Cox survived he would have been charged. However, he said, that's not the case being tried.
"I'm not, in any form or fashion, defending Brandon York and Casey Cox for what they were doing that morning," he said. "Casey Cox should either be in jail or in rehabilitation right now ... But no, he's not allowed to do that because Jeffrey Conrad's system of justice is he acts as judge, jury and executioner."
With closing statements complete, the jury was excused to deliberate. In his instructions, McCracken Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach laid out the charges the jurors could consider - murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter or reckless homicide - reminding them they had to reach a unanimous decision.
Following the verdict, Conrad was led from the courtroom and returned to McCracken County Jail, where he has already served about nine months.
Conrad will appear in court on May 6 for sentencing, where the judge could impose the jury's recommendation or a shorter sentence. Once Conrad has served 20 percent of whatever sentence the judge deems fit, he will be eligible for parole.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Conrad, 49, was initially charged with murder after he shot and killed Garlon Casey Cox, 31, last June at a Reidland storage facility.
Conrad had caught Cox and Brandon York, 36, stealing from his storage unit when the shooting occurred. Throughout his case, Conrad has maintained he shot Cox to protect his ex-girlfriend, who was helping him move that morning.
In court Monday, both sides presented closing statements to the jury.
Defense attorney Doug Moore reminded jurors that they had a serious task at hand.
"This is the most important day of Jeff's life," Moore said.
"Casey Cox is gone. Your decision today is not going to bring him back ... But your decision regarding Jeff is almost literally a decision between life and death. Today you're going to tell Jeff whether he can return to his life or go to prison."
Moore recounted Conrad's story for the jury, emphasizing that York and Cox were caught burglarizing Conrad's storage unit, something both had been previously convicted of in other counties.
Moore also emphasized Cox's and York's drug use and the fact that large amounts of methamphetamine and lorazepam were found in Cox's body during the autopsy.
"What happened to Casey Cox was bound to happen," Moore said. "Sooner or later Brandon York and Casey Cox were going to run in to the owner or the renter of a storage unit as they were burglarizing it. This was always going to happen."
Reiterating his client's story, Moore told the jury that Conrad and his friend Melissa "Missy" McKendree went to the storage facility early that morning and encountered Cox and York closing the door to Conrad's unit. Conrad said he saw several of his possessions in the back of Cox's truck, drew his gun and told them to freeze, but they ignored him. Cox got into his truck, Moore said, and started backing up in McKendree's direction, prompting Conrad to shoot.
"(Conrad) told you the reason he fired," Moore said. "It wasn't to kill. It wasn't even to injure Mr. Cox. It was to stop the truck from moving directly at his friend Missy."
"Jeff and Missy didn't ask for any of this. They didn't get up on June 8, 2015, looking for trouble. Jeff didn't get up looking to kill somebody on June 8, 2015 ... This was a day he going to get a truckload of furniture moved into his storage unit and go on with his life, but that didn't happen because of Brandon York and Casey Cox."
Finally, Moore asked the jury to consider his client's actions following the shooting. Conrad didn't flee, he said. Instead he called 911 and waited for the police to arrive.
"These are not the actions of someone who had just committed murder," Moore said.
When it was his turn, Commonwealth Attorney Dan Boaz disputed much of Moore's statement, accusing the defense attorney of trying to distract the jury with Cox's and York's crimes.
"What we're talking about today is murder, plain and simple," Boaz said. "We're talking about somebody taking somebody else's life."
Boaz again argued Conrad shot Cox because Cox disobeyed his orders to stop and get on the ground. He reminded the jury that, after the shooting, McKendree had told officers at the scene she was not afraid for her life. The prosecutor also disputed Moore's claim that Conrad had fired his weapon without the intention to cause harm.
"When Jeffrey Conrad pointed (his) gun at Casey Cox's head ... he knew what would happen if he pulled the trigger," Boaz said. "He intended to shoot Casey Cox in the head. He may say he didn't, but he did. That's what you do when you point a gun at someone and pull the trigger."
Boaz said he agreed Cox and York had made bad decisions, adding had Cox survived he would have been charged. However, he said, that's not the case being tried.
"I'm not, in any form or fashion, defending Brandon York and Casey Cox for what they were doing that morning," he said. "Casey Cox should either be in jail or in rehabilitation right now ... But no, he's not allowed to do that because Jeffrey Conrad's system of justice is he acts as judge, jury and executioner."
With closing statements complete, the jury was excused to deliberate. In his instructions, McCracken Circuit Judge Tim Kaltenbach laid out the charges the jurors could consider - murder, first-degree manslaughter, second-degree manslaughter or reckless homicide - reminding them they had to reach a unanimous decision.
Following the verdict, Conrad was led from the courtroom and returned to McCracken County Jail, where he has already served about nine months.
Conrad will appear in court on May 6 for sentencing, where the judge could impose the jury's recommendation or a shorter sentence. Once Conrad has served 20 percent of whatever sentence the judge deems fit, he will be eligible for parole.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
