Kingston courthouse shooting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 9 August Courthouse Shooting, also known as the Kingston Shooting, was a fatal shooting in the city of Kingston, Tennessee on August 9, 2005 that led to a nationwide manhunt in the United States.
Contents |
[edit] Events
The reported shooter, Jennifer Forsyth Hyatte (born 1974), shot a Tennessee Department of Correction transport officer, Wayne "Cotton" Morgan, three times, after George Hyatte, who had just pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery at the Roane County Courthouse, reportedly screamed "Shoot him!" The officer was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he was pronounced dead. One other officer was shot, but later released from another hospital.
Witnesses claimed that Jennifer Hyatte stormed out of the courthouse, where she got into a Ford Explorer, which was later found abandoned. Police later announced that they believed she was driving a gold Chevrolet Venture with the license plate number GFU-155. They also said that George Hyatte got into the Ford Explorer that his wife was driving.
On August 10, the Chevrolet Venture used was found in the parking lot of an Econo Lodge in Erlanger, Kentucky, but neither Hyatte was found. The same night the Hyattes were charged with first degree murder.
[edit] Capture
On August 10, 2005, around 10:00pm, the Hyattes were captured at an America's Best Value Inn located in Columbus, Ohio. The couple was captured after a cab driver named Mike Wagers drove them from Erlanger, Kentucky, to the hotel. The Hyattes reportedly said that they were attending an Amway convention. Wagers later called the police and the SWAT team captured them. It was reported that weapons were found in the hotel.
[edit] Court proceedings
On September 17, 2007, Jennifer Hyatte pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. As a result, she will almost certainly die in prison. As a condition of the plea bargain which allowed her to avoid the death penalty, she has agreed to testify against George Hyatte, who is still awaiting trial [1].
[edit] References
- Beyer, Anna Lee. “Roane County: Corrections officer dies; shooter, prisoner at large,” Roane County News [online]. http://roanecounty.com/articles/2005/08/09/news/news01.txt , 9 Aug 2005. Accessed 30 May 2006.
- CNN.com . “Courthouse Shooting Leaves Officer Dead.” CNN transcript, draft [?]. Tony Harris, host. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/09/lol.01.html , 9 Aug 2005. Accessed 30 May 2006.
- Dill, Amanda, Producer. “National memorial adds Tennessee officers killed in line of duty,” AP, WBIR.com, http://www.wbir.com/news/archive.aspx?storyid=34291 , 13 May 2006, 11:56:27 PM. Accessed 30 May 2006.
- Silence, Michael, “Breaking News: Courthouse Shooting,” Knox News [online version of Knoxville News Sentinel] http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2005/08/breaking_news_c.shtml , 9 Aug 2005, 11:35 AM. Accessed 30 May 2006.
- State of Tennessee, Department of Corrections. News Release. “Inmate Escapes From Roane County Courthouse, Correctional Officer Fatally Wounded,” http://www.tennessee.gov/correction/newsreleases/2005news/hyatteescapes.html 9 Aug 2005. Accessed 30 May 2006.
