The evidentiary hearing for a possible new trial for Quincy Cross, convicted in the 2000 murder of 18-year-old Jessica Currin, continued for nearly eight hours on Nov. 26 in Graves County Circuit Court.
The hearing focused on allegations that witnesses were pressured or intimidated into implicating Cross during the original investigation and 2008 trial.
During the eight hours, multiple people were questioned. Some from the original hearings, others not. The highlights of the key testimonies include:
Shamica Powell, one of the first witnesses called, testified that both law enforcement and her friend at the time, Shannon Morgan (who was dating Cross), pressured her to say Cross confessed to the murder. Powell frequently invoked the Fifth Amendment early in her testimony, later saying she feared perjury charges from her 2008 testimony.
Darryl Montgomery, who did not testify in the original trial, claimed he heard former suspect Jeremy Adams admit to the murder while in jail. Montgomery said Adams mentioned strangulation and burning, and claimed the victim had been pregnant with a police officer’s child.
Tamara Caldwell testified that Kentucky Bureau of Investigation officers threatened her during questioning, telling her she would lose her children and face the electric chair if she didn’t cooperate.
Latoya Senter, called by the Commonwealth, unexpectedly recanted her 2008 testimony and briefly left the courtroom to consult an attorney about perjury concerns. She also claimed she was coerced by KBI officers while pregnant at the time.
Victoria Caldwell, another major witness from the 2008 trial, invoked her Fifth Amendment rights shortly after taking the stand and was dismissed.
The law enforcement had a chance to respond as well. Including the former investigators Michelle Kent and Sam Steger of the Kentucky State Police. Both denied any coercion or misconduct. Kent said she intentionally entered witness interviews without prior knowledge of case details to ensure impartial questioning.
Steger testified he never told a witness what to say, nor turned cameras on or off during interviews or allowed threats from other officers.
The hearing will resume Dec. 18 at 9 a.m. All witnesses have been dismissed except for Vinisha Stubblefield, who testified on the first day and will be recalled to the stand.
