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Office of the Attorney General
Hardin County Jury Recommends Death for Convicted Serial Killer Michael St. Clair
Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Special Prosecutions announced that a Hardin County jury has issued a unanimous verdict of death for Michael St. Clair after being convicted on capital kidnapping and other charges in connection with 1991 abduction and murder of Frank Brady. The jury returned its penalty verdict late Friday, January 20, 2012 after a three-week trial and less than two hours of deliberations. The Hardin Circuit Court jury was empanelled following a reversal by the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2010 on an evidentiary ruling.
"This verdict is the result of the hard work and dedication of the prosecutors, investigators, victims' advocates and their support staff who never wavered from their commitment to seek justice in the kidnapping and murder of Frank Brady," General Conway said. "My hope is that this verdict brings some closure to the Brady family."
Attorney General Conway also thanked the Franklin County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office for their assistance in the prosecution of this case.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony detailing how St. Clair and an accomplice, both escapees from an Oklahoma jail, embarked on a deadly multi-state crime spree. On Oct. 6, 1991, St. Clair and his accomplice abducted Brady, a distillery worker from Nelson County, at a Hardin County rest stop. The pair took Brady to an isolated, wooded area in Bullitt County where St. Clair handcuffed his victim and then shot him multiple times. Jurors also heard testimony about four additional murders committed by St. Clair prior to his escape.
The jury also convicted St. Clair on charges of criminal attempt to murder a Kentucky State Police trooper, facilitation to arson 2nd degree and two counts of receiving stolen property over $500.
Sentencing before Special Judge Tom Castlen is scheduled for February 1, 2012 in Hardin Circuit Court. St. Clair is currently on death row at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville after being sentenced to death in November of 2011 following a conviction in Bullitt Circuit Court in the execution-style slaying of Brady.
With his Kentucky convictions, St. Clair has now been convicted of murdering five separate individuals.
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