Man Convicted of Threats, Acquitted of Murder

A McCracken County jury convicted a man last week on a terroristic threatening charge, but acquitted him on burglary and murder charges in a case where another man pulled the trigger.

According to McCracken County Commonwealth's Attorney Dan Boaz, whose office prosecuted the case, twelve jurors deliberated for several hours last Friday, November 9 in the case of Robert Ingram. He was indicted on April 7 by a grand jury after he was released from a hospital where he was treated for a gunshot wound. 

The charges stem from a home invasion incident on January 7. McCracken County Sheriff's detectives say Ingram contacted Eric Howard and threatened to assault him, then came to Howard's home with Toby Reed. Police say they kicked in the door of the home, but were shot by Howard. Reed died from his wounds, but Ingram recovered.

Kentucky law (KRS 507.020) states that Ingram could be charged with murder if he, "wantonly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to another person and thereby causes the death of another person." 

Howard was not indicted by the grand jury in April because the sheriff's department indicated he was acting in self-defense.

Testimony in the trial revealed that Ingram had lived at Howard's home at some point, and Boaz said that may have affected the verdict on the burglary charge. 

As for the acquittal, Boaz said the jurors had a wealth of information as they deliberated.

Boaz said, "They know that case better than anybody. The people who were there, Eric Howard and Chris Ingram and Toby Reed, they know it too, but as far as the outsiders are concerned, those fourteen people (two were alternates) sat there and took notes and were engaged throughout the thirty-five hours of arguments and evidence. That's what it's all about, and that's another bedrock of our society, the jury trial."

The recommended sentence for the terroristic threatening conviction is 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. Ingram's sentencing is set for 9:00 am on January 7, 2019.