Thursday, September 02, 2021

Christian Martin: Ex-pilot gets life sentence in gruesome Kentucky triple murder he insists he didn't do

Christian Richard Martin 
(Image source: Christian County Detention Center)



Former commercial pilot Christian “Kit” Martin was sentenced Thursday to life without parole for a triple murder in Christian County.

Circuit Judge John Atkins imposed the sentence recommended by a jury that in June found Martin guilty of three counts of murder as well as multiple counts of arson, burglary and tampering with evidence. 

Before the sentence was pronounced, one of Martin’s lawyers said justice was not done in the case, which was tried on a change of venue in Hardin County. 

Martin, dressed in an orange jail suit, did not address the court. The sentencing was carried on Court TV.

The case attracted national attention when Martin was pulled off a jet at the Louisville airport on May 11, 2019, handcuffed as he was about to take off.

He was still wearing his pilot’s uniform when he was booked on three counts of complicity to murder, arson and other charges. 

The attorney general’s office, which tried the case, said  Martin on Nov. 18, 2015, fatally shot three of his neighbors, Edward Dansereau and Calvin and Pamela Phillips, a married couple.

Calvin Phillips was found dead in his Pembroke home the next day and the remains of Dansereau and Pamela Phillips were discovered in a burnt vehicle in a field. 

Special prosecutors Barbara Whaley and Alex Garcia told the jury that Martin killed Calvin Phillips because he was about to testify in Martin’s military court-martial trial on multiple charges.

The military court eventually convicted Martin on one count of mishandling classified information and one of assault on a child. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and was discharged after 30 years of military service. 

The prosecution claimed Danseroux and Phillips’ wife were collateral damage. 

“The families and the Pembroke community have endured a profound loss,” Attorney General Daniel Cameron said after the conviction. “While this verdict in no way eases that pain, I hope that they find some peace and comfort today.” 

Martin’s attorney, assistant public advocate Tom Griffiths, did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the verdict. 

He argued in an opening statement the prosecution’s theory that his client wanted to silence a witness in his court-martial made no sense because Phillips also was set to testify for the defense in the military trial. 

The crime went unsolved for years.

Whaley told the jury Martin had the motive to kill Calvin Phillips because a conviction in the court-martial could have ended his 30-year military career.

She also said a shell casing found five months after the crime was conclusively shown to have been fired from a .45-caliber handgun found in a safe in Martin’s home across the street. 

Griffiths claimed the shell casing and other damning evidence was mysteriously were missed by police who scoured the home and that it must have been planted there, possibly by Martin’s angry ex-wife, who had vowed to ruin him. 

11 comments:

  1. He murders three people and his punishment is life..... Think about that. He robs others of their lives and the state gives him life. Not just life but free room and board, free medical care and a roof over his head until the day he dies. That's our country's idea of just punishment.
    Unbelievable!

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    1. In the United States, if you are indicted, you will be found guilty. Virtually guaranteed. If you read the articles, the only evidence in this case was provided by people who didn't like the defendant. The only way one can fight and win is to be loaded with cash and buy the very best attorneys.

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    2. In Calif, without voter approval .. Governor Gavin Newsom suspended all death sentences. Even though juries over the past decades decided that the murders were severe enough to justify a sentence of death, Newsom thought otherwise. Murderers such as Scot Peterson, Richard Allen Davis had their sentences commuted.
      Sadly Newsom also started a trend of early release for felons. The state of California has literally gone to hell. Liberals have ruined the state. Led by high tech, corporations manipulate state politics. It’s a disaster sweeping this country.
      I personally have felt the enormous trauma of being victimized by having a family member murdered. In my case, it was a very much loved uncle. A man who served this country through world war 2, Korea and went on to lead a productive, clean life. Murdered for less than $20 in his wallet. The murderer was released after 18 years during Newsom’s first year in office.

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  2. Well, SOMEONE on here apparently thinks this clown is innocent. He's guilty. Not worthy of the title of "Pilot". The End.

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  3. I did not listen to the whole trial. Psychopaths can be convincing.

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  4. "the Kentucky Supreme Court reviews cases involving the death penalty, life imprisonment, or a term of imprisonment lasting at least 20 years on direct appeal from the trial court. Other cases must proceed through lower appellate courts before reaching the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court will review these appeals only if the lower appellate court consents." https://law.justia.com/cases/kentucky/supreme-court/

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  5. Ed Dansereau was a very talented local musician. I turned 21 while listening to him and Beau Haddock in a bar in Bowling Green, KY. He was a hell of a guy. This jackwagon can rot in hell.

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  6. What about the lady who had the cell phone that all of a sudden showed up? What about the mystery bullet that showed up after the lady had access to the house? Than she refused to testify and plead the fifth. Amazing!

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  7. Airmen inquiry reveals: an ATP with CRJ type rating. No license to kill.

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  8. Pilots are a cross section of society. There are pedo's, murderers, addicts, wife beaters, tax cheats among pilots. Stat's may differ slightly from general public but people are people. The few ruin it for the rest. I've run across a few odd balls.

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