The McCracken County Fiscal Court discussed what to do about a burned Reidland home at the center of the Keith Griffith murder trial.
County attorney Sam Clymer says the structure is in violation of maintenance codes and unfit for habitation, according to the Paducah Sun. The house belongs to Keith Griffith, alleged to have burned the home in an effort to destroy evidence indicating him in the death of his wife. Griffith was cited in July for the deteriorating house, but the fiscal court was ordered not to intervene until the trial was over.
“His legal team found a problem with that because the faced the possibility of evidence in the trial being demolished. So, what his attorney did is she filed a motion in circuit court and Judge Kaltenbach took that under advisement,” Clymer said. “He ordered that the house was to remain standing.”
Kaltenbach declared a mistrial in the case last week and a second trial has not been set, leaving in question the fate of the structure. Clymer says the county can file a motion to lift Kaltenbach’s order so preparation for demolition can begin.
“I think we should file the motion,” commissioner Bill Bartleman said. “It’s been a year and a month now since the fire. The site’s been contaminated by the weather, by people going through it. I think we ought to file the motion and ask the judge to lift his ban.”
Clymer said even if the structure is preserved for a second trial, the validity of evidence gathered currently can be questioned due to contamination.
