Shooting comes one week after trial work in Clinton Circuit Court

Posted July 2, 2014 at 1:41 pm

Well-known attorney, Mark

Stanziano, gunned down in Somerset

A highly well known southern and eastern Kentucky defense attorney, and one familiar to all the legal community in the Albany/Clinton County area, was shot to death last Friday morning in front of his Somerset, Kentucky office.

Mark Stanziano, age 57, of Somerset, was pronounced dead just over an hour after being shot multiple times by an apparent disgruntled nearby resident and acquaintance of the attorney.

The Somerset defense attorney was also familiar with the court system in Clinton County, having represented several defendants here.

In fact, Stanziano, along with his wife Beth, who is also a defense attorney, represented Phillip and Thomas Roberts in their murder trial that ended in Clinton Circuit Court just a week prior to his death.

Both were found guilty on lesser charges in the death of 73-year-old Frank Perdue in 2012.

According to information released by Somerset Police Department, at 8:01 a.m. (Eastern Time) Friday, June 27, Somerset police officers responded to a shooting in downtown Somerset on West Mt. Vernon Street, behind the Courthouse.

The calls came in when a Pulaski County Sheriff’s Detective and several other people witnessed Clinton D. Inabnitt, age 40, of Somerset, shoot Somerset attorney Mark Stanziano outside Stanziano’s office at 207 West Mt. Vernon Street. Stanziano was shot multiple times. The detective was able to approach Inabnitt and take him into custody.

According to witnesses, Inabnitt had been in contact with Stanziano Thursday evening (June 26) about a problem he was having and had made previous threats toward Stanziano.

Stanziano was treated at the scene by Somerset-Pulaski County EMS and was transported to Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. He was pronounced dead at 9:15 a.m. by Pulaski County Coroner Charles Godbey.

According to the citation from Somerset Police, “Inabnitt was seen by several witnesses including a Sheriff’s Deputy approach Stanziano and shoot Stanziano several times.

Inabnitt admitted to loading a 9mm Taurus handgun and waiting for Stanziano to arrive at work. When he arrived, Inabnitt approached Stanziano with the gun raised and fired several shots at and into Stanziano.

The Sheriff’s Deputy on the scene was able to take Inabnitt into custody without any further incident. During an interview, Inabnitt admitted he was mad at Stanziano for not helping him with a problem and said that Stanziano had laughed at him about the problem. Inabnitt further stated he had decided today (Friday) with intent to cause death to Stanziano because he had laughed at him.”

Stanziano was no stranger to taking on controversy or controversial cases throughout his career. One of those involved him representing the man accused of killing Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron back in 2002, among others.

The investigation into Stanziano’s death is continuing by the Somerset Police Department Criminal Investigation Division.

The SPD was assisted at the scene by the Somerset Fire Department, the Kentucky Highway Department Safe Patrol, and the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department.

Inabnitt, who was charged with murder, was lodged in Pulaski County Detention Center without bond was scheduled for his first court appearance in Pulaski District Court this past Monday, June 30.