Woman arrested in Champion Case
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
February 12, 2015
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/woman-arrested-in-champion-case/article_7075ee5a-5ad8-11e7-b4e5-10604b9f0f42.html
Kentucky State Police arrested a Hopkinsville woman Wednesday for an alleged role in the Oct. 26 slayings of Lindsey Champion, 62, his wife Joy, 60, and their 31-year-old daughter Emily at their Dover Road home in Cadiz.
Ann Plotkin, 41, was arrested at her Pennyroyal Homes apartment and presented to a special Trigg County grand jury, which indicted her on three counts of complicity to commit capital murder. She was also charged with resisting arrest in Christian County.
The Champion couple's son, Ryan Champion, 36, was arrested Oct. 31, and charged with his family's murder and that of Vito Riservato, 22, who was also found shot to death in the Champion home.
Police contend that Riservato and Champion teamed up to commit the slayings.
In another development, Champion's attorney Tom Osborne withdrew from the case Thursday.
As for Plotkin, Trooper Jay Thomas said state police have been investigating her since "shortly after the murders" and in the months that followed, authorities had built a case showing she may have known about the killings beforehand.
Commonwealth Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said authorities believe Plotkin was Ryan Champion's girlfriend.
"I can't comment on the specific evidence," Wiggins said. "But I can say that the murders occurred on Oct. 26, and since that time there has been an ongoing investigation that included the execution of several search warrants that included phone companies and social media companies."
Wiggins said the charges against Plotkin stem from information gleaned from those warrants.
Since his arrest, Plotkin has publicly voiced her support for Champion via Facebook saying "I know he's not guilty!" and "He didn't do anything wrong!" She also posted that Champion has her heart and that she missed and loved him.
Plotkin will be arraigned Friday, the same day as Champion's next pre-trial hearing.
Wiggins said Champion's hearing was originally scheduled to address motions made by Osborne but, now that Osborne is out, she was not sure what the hearing would cover.
"(Champion) will have to express to the court what his desire is as far as counsel," she said. "They will have to decide whether to bring another defense attorney on or have the public defender reassigned to the case."
Wiggins could not say why Osborne withdrew, just that his motion to withdraw cited "there had been a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship."
Plotkin is being held at Christian County Jail on a $3 million bond. Champion remains at the jail on a $5 million bond.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Ann Plotkin, 41, was arrested at her Pennyroyal Homes apartment and presented to a special Trigg County grand jury, which indicted her on three counts of complicity to commit capital murder. She was also charged with resisting arrest in Christian County.
The Champion couple's son, Ryan Champion, 36, was arrested Oct. 31, and charged with his family's murder and that of Vito Riservato, 22, who was also found shot to death in the Champion home.
Police contend that Riservato and Champion teamed up to commit the slayings.
In another development, Champion's attorney Tom Osborne withdrew from the case Thursday.
As for Plotkin, Trooper Jay Thomas said state police have been investigating her since "shortly after the murders" and in the months that followed, authorities had built a case showing she may have known about the killings beforehand.
Commonwealth Attorney Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said authorities believe Plotkin was Ryan Champion's girlfriend.
"I can't comment on the specific evidence," Wiggins said. "But I can say that the murders occurred on Oct. 26, and since that time there has been an ongoing investigation that included the execution of several search warrants that included phone companies and social media companies."
Wiggins said the charges against Plotkin stem from information gleaned from those warrants.
Since his arrest, Plotkin has publicly voiced her support for Champion via Facebook saying "I know he's not guilty!" and "He didn't do anything wrong!" She also posted that Champion has her heart and that she missed and loved him.
Plotkin will be arraigned Friday, the same day as Champion's next pre-trial hearing.
Wiggins said Champion's hearing was originally scheduled to address motions made by Osborne but, now that Osborne is out, she was not sure what the hearing would cover.
"(Champion) will have to express to the court what his desire is as far as counsel," she said. "They will have to decide whether to bring another defense attorney on or have the public defender reassigned to the case."
Wiggins could not say why Osborne withdrew, just that his motion to withdraw cited "there had been a breakdown in the attorney-client relationship."
Plotkin is being held at Christian County Jail on a $3 million bond. Champion remains at the jail on a $5 million bond.
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.