Two years after commercial airline pilot Christian “Kit” Martin was pulled off a jet at the Louisville airport and charged with a gruesome triple murder in Christian County, a jury Wednesday found him guilty and recommended he serve life in prison.
The former American Airlines pilot was found guilty of murdering three people in Kentucky in the year 2015.
In a latest development, Christian Richard Martin was found guilty of all charges against him, including three counts of murder, one count of arson in the first degree, one count of attempted arson, two counts of burglary in the first degree, and three counts of tampering with physical evidence.
It said Martin, 53, fatally shot three of his neighbours, Edward Dansereau and married couple Calvin and Pamela Phillips on November 18.
Calvin Phillips was found dead in his home in Kentucky on November 19, and the remains of Dansereau and Pamela Phillips, were discovered in a burned vehicle in a field, the news channel wrote.
According to USA Today, said the case attracted national attention when Martin, a former army major who flew for American Airlines, was handcuffed at the airline gate as he was about to take off on May 11, 2019. He was still wearing his pilot’s uniform when he was booked.
It was established that Martin killed Calvin Phillips because he was about to testify in his military court-martial trial on multiple charges, and that could have ended his career.
The prosecution claimed that Dansereau and Phillips’ wife were collateral damage.
Special prosecutors Barbara Whaley and Alex Garcia told the jury that Martin killed Calvin Phillips because he was about to testify in Martin’s military court-martial trial on multiple charges.
The military court eventually convicted Martin on one count of mishandling classified information and one count of assault on a child. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and was discharged after 30 years of military service.
Martin has maintained his innocence, saying that he had no motive to kill Calvin Phillips because he believed he was going to be his star witness in the upcoming court-martial, ABC News reported.
According to the US news channel, his attorney Tom Griffiths said there’s forensic proof that the bullets that killed the victims did not come from his client’s gun.
He also noted there were no eyewitnesses, no DNA and no fingerprints. He said evidence pointing to his client could have been planted.
At one point, Martin used a handkerchief to wipe away tears as the defense described how he tried to help other inmates with their cases while locked up.
After he heard the recommended prison sentence Thursday afternoon, Martin was led out of the Hardin County courtroom before deputies allowed him back in to give hugs and kisses to his family.
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