A Frankfort man who shot and killed Xavier Cochrum, wounded one other, fired at A third and later reportedly admitted to authorities that the crimes Weren’t acts of self-protection pleaded responsible to lowered costs in Franklin Circuit Courtroom Thursday.
Elijah Amburgey, 20, was preliminaryly costd with homicide, a capital offense; first-diploma assault, A class B felony; and first-diploma wanton endangermalest, A class D felony, after capturing and killing 19-yr-previous Cochrum, wounding Ezavion Peyton, 19, and firing in the direction of Patrick Greenlee on the Evening time of Sept. 30, 2019.
Elijah Amburgey stands Collectively with his public defender Brad Gordon all by way of his change of plea listening to in Franklin Circuit Courtroom Thursday. (Chanda Veno | State Journal)
On Thursday, he entered a responsible to plea to amalesded costs of second-diploma manslaughter and second-diploma assault, each Class C felonies. The wanton endangermalest cost was dismissed per the plea settlemalest.
Based mostly on court paperwork, Amburgey tprevious investigators that he fired the gun “not in self-safety however as a Outcome of That they had disrespected and disobeyed him.”
The preliminary 911 caller, Amburgey’s grandmom, whose house he lived in, reported That somebody tried to enter the Menominee Path refacetnce by way of a again door and her grandson shot them in his bed room. She tprevious dispatch two people have been probably harm and one was mendacity Inside the driveway.
The three males who survived gave regulation enforcemalest conflicting tales of what went down that Evening time.
In an interview with police, Greenlee, who escaped damage, claimed the incident centered round a drug deal gone incorrect. He said he acquired a textual content material message from Cochrum earlier Inside the night asking the place he might buy marijuana and organized the transaction with Amburgey, who tprevious officers A particular story.
Per Amburgey’s acrely, Cochrum tried to pay for $100 of marijuana using relyerfeit money and when he tprevious them To go away Peyton struck him.
In his police interview, Peyton, who sustained a gunshot wound to his proper arm and was found Inside the yard, said he was promoting the medicine and accused Amburgey of shorting him on the transaction. Then Amburgey tprevious them To go away and pulled a handgun out from beneath a espresso desk And commalesced capturing.
Elijah Amburgey
An post-mortem report found that Cochrum was shot 3 events — as quickly as Inside the left facet of his chest and twice Inside the left facet of his again — as he ran away. He was found by first responders mendacity facedown Inside the driveway.
Both Cochrum and Peyton have been transported to Frankfort Regional Medical Center. Peyton was dealt with and launched. Cochrum was pronounced lifeless and Greenlee escaped damage.
During Thursday’s change of plea listening to, Franklin Circuit Courtroom Decide Phillip Shepherd said Amburgey is dealing with a most sentence of 20 yrs in jail — 10 yrs on every rely.
The judge additionally provided Cochrum’s mom, Kim Cochrum, An alternative to study her sufferer’s influence assertion, which he said he reviewed Earlier to the listening to.
“I really feel it’d be relevant To current Ms. Cochrum The prospect To return forward and converse if she Desires to,” he said.
Commonwealth’s Lawyer Larry Cleveland educated Shepherd that she would ship her assertion at Amburgey’s sentencing, which has been slated for March 18.
The case had been slowed Because of Amburgey altering attorneys a quantity of events.
Public defender Brad Gordon, who recurrents Amburgey, requested the judge if his shopper Could be launched to house incarceration pending sentencing.
“I don’t see that as An elemalest of the plea settlemalest,” Shepherd defined. “I’ll be joyful To imagine about it, however I’m Barely uncomfordesk ordering Mr. Amburgey’s launch pending sentencing right now.”
The judge tprevious the defendant and his attorney that They might want to file a movement with the court.
“I want A probability To imagine about it,” Shepherd added.