The Calloway County Circuit Clerk says 51-year-old Charles Harding of Murray, who had initially been charged with 1st-degree manslaughter, was indicted on an amended charge of 2nd-degree assault.
The Grand Jury also indicted 57-year-old Deneyar Kim Puckett of Murray for murder (domestic violence) and for 2nd-degree burglary. She had been arrested on only the burglary charge.
The indictments stem from an investigation into the death of 66-year-old Ricky Puckett of Murray, who was the ex-husband of the female suspect.
An affidavit from Murray Police on November 24 described the events surrounding his death. When police responded to the home on South 5th Street, the door was locked. When they finally gained entry to the home, someone was running out the back door and Ricky Puckett was dead on a couch.
Kim Puckett was reportedly found in another apartment in the same building, but didn't have permission to be there. The investigation eventually led to Harding admitting that he struck Ricky Puckett at least once with a pipe-style object as the argued over the woman.
Both suspects told police that after the altercation, they made up with Puckett and helped clean his bleeding head wound, but Harding allegedly admitted he asked someone to help him remove the body when Puckett later became unresponsive.
Police said Harding also sent messages and made phone calls to others asking for help in dealing with the body, saying that Kim had killed her ex-husband.
New or different information in the Grand Jury testimony led to the amended charge and indictments against the two defendants.
Puckett and Harding are scheduled to be arraigned in court on January 7.
Puckett and Harding are scheduled to be arraigned in court on January 7.
