Lee Maynard took the stand and was questioned yesterday as part of the ongoing murder trial in which Lee Maynard is accused of murder in the shooting death of his half-brother, Charles Maynard.
Lee was called as the final witness of the day, providing his recollection of the events of April 5, 2023. Lee said he was at the residence on Fox Lane in Jamestown that day. In the evening hours, Lee said, Charles was looking for a missing ID card and accused Lee of taking it or moving it.
During the short, heated altercation, Lee claimed in his testimony that Charles grabbed him by the throat. Lee testified that after Charles grabbed him, he pulled a handgun from his waistband and stuck it to Charles’ neck.
Lee testified that Charles then forced him toward the dresser and knocked him down and at that point, Lee shot Charles. Lee testified that he closed his eyes during this sequence of events, and when he reopened them, he saw Charles grabbing his abdominal area where he was shot.
During cross-examination, Commonwealth’s Attorney Matthew Leveridge questioned Lee about the series of events, noting that Charles had been shot twice with the other shot being in the shoulder/upper-chest area. Lee could not completely recall the details of firing that shot.
Lee was questioned about fleeing the scene following the shooting. He testified his only thought was to get away from the situation, so he ran out of the house and toward a wooded area. Lee testified that he made his way through the woods that night, and eventually ended up at an abandoned home near Dunnville.
He said he slept in the abandoned home, waking up in the afternoon and had only been walking along Highway 127 for 10-15 minutes before he was spotted and later apprehended by a Kentucky State Police trooper.
A host of forensic experts were called throughout the day, but the other key witness was Detective Zach Scott with Kentucky State Police Post 15. Scott was the lead detective on the case.
Scott said he observed a scratch on Lee’s chest and neck area when he met with him after he had been apprehended, but testified that he did not observe any other injuries on Lee at that time.
During cross-examination, Lee’s attorneys pointed out the noticeable scratch. Scott said they looked like they were from briars. During redirect examination, Leveridge asked Scott why he said that. Scott replied that Lee told him that the scratch was from briars.
The trial is set to resume at 8:30 this morning at the Russell County Judicial Center. The prosecution and defense are expected to provide their closing arguments and then the case will be turned over to the jury for deliberation. We will provide details as they are available.
