John “Fatman” Smith, 41, Dubree Rd., Tompkinsville, and Chasity Hagan, 34, Homer Bartley Rd., Summer Shade, both had their cases bound over to the Monroe County Grand Jury after a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, May 1 in Monroe District Court.

Smith and Hagan were charged with the murder of Brenda Faye Howard, 64, of 3229 Ebenezer Rd., Tompkinsville, after Howard was found beaten and stabbed in her home on Friday night, April 20.

Smith and Hagan were both officially charged with murder and burglary later Saturday afternoon, April 21, and lodged in Monroe County Jail. Hagan was later moved to Barren County Detention Center.

At their arraignment on Tuesday, April 22, Hagan’s charges were amended to complicity to commit murder and complicity to commit burglary.

During last week’s preliminary hearing, Smith, represented by Public Defender Sandra Downs, and Hagan, represented by Public Defender Greg Berry, were present to hear evidence gathered against them to determine if enough cause was found to bind the case over to the Monroe Circuit Court.

During the preliminary hearing, Judge Kristi Castillo heard testimony from Kentucky State Police Detective Ricky Brooks, who was the lead investigator on the case.

County Attorney Wes Stephens conducted the questioning for the prosecution as Brooks took the stand and detailed the contact from Monroe County Sheriff’s Department on Friday night, April 20, which requested KSP assistance in the investigation of Howard’s murder.

After interviewing several family members of the victim, Brook said officers learned that Chasity Hagan had been involved in an argument with Howard on Wednesday, April 18.

Brooks noted that later that night he went to Homer Bartley Road, Summer Shade, to Hagan’s residence to interview her and noted that during the interview, Hagan gave three different accounts of the events.

The first two recorded statements denied involvement, he said, while the third admitted she had been inside the door of Howard’s home during the event.

She made several different statements, Brooks testified, including that Smith was involved in the incident, that she drove to the Howard residence and parked in a nearby ditch line to make it appear that the car had broken down and that they entered through an open door of the Howard residence. Hagan continued, Brooks said, that Smith struck Howard in the left side of the head with an ax handle “making blood go everywhere.”

Upon cross examination by Hagan’s attorney, Brooks noted that fingerprints and DNA evidence had been sent to the KSP laboratory for analysis, that an ax handle had been found in the trunk of the 2000 burgundy Saturn at the Hagan residence which had a large amount of blood on it, and that three to four inches of a broken knife blade fell out of Howard’s head upon examination. Brooks continued that Hagan’s clothing had been seized and sent to the lab for analysis as well. However, Brooks added that no visible blood was noticed on Hagan during the interview, as well as the fact that no blood was found on her footwear, which was also sent to the lab for analysis as well as a footprint found at the scene. He also testified that Hagan stated that she had “run out of the house during the assault” and that “she was assaulted by John Smith” striking her in the left leg with an ax handle, showing the bruises to another detective.

Continuing on cross examination, Brooks told the court that Hagan first stated she had been dropped off and that a pair of female size 16 jeans and a pair of male jeans size 38×32 were both found in the trunk of Hagan’s car with blood evidence, “which shows they were at the scene,” Brooks added.

A purse was located in Hagan’s car trunk which contained personal paperwork belonging to Howard, Brooks added. He also noted that no prescription drugs were found at the Howard home.

Attorney Downs then took over the cross examination and Brooks noted that Smith had made one recorded statement with Detective Russell Decker and himself.

Brooks then noted that Detective Jamie Richards attended the autopsy conduced on Howard. Downs questioned how many times the victim was stabbed and Brooks stated, “I have not seen the autopsy report. All I know is she had head trauma and a punctured left lung.”

Brooks restated the fact that Hagan was believed to have had an argument with Howard in the days prior to the murder and that two ax handles were found in Hagan’s car, one of which had blood on it.

Smith was located in a wooded area, Brooks added, by a KSP K-9 unit in a cabin approximately 300 yards behind the Hagan residence.

Brooks added that when Smith was apprehended he was wearing a National Wild Turkey Federation cap which also appeared to have blood on it, and this cap has also been sent for analysis.

Downs questioned the blood found on the hat, asking if he could determine if it was “old blood or new blood.” Brooks stated he could not determine that fact but the item had been sent to the lab for evaluation. She also questioned where the knife blade was broken, which Brooks answered that he could not ascertain that as well as the fact he was unable to tell with certainty what type of knife it had come from.

Brooks also noted that three cell phones were recovered, two in the center console of Hagan’s car and one, a Trac phone, in Smith’s pocket. He added that a preservation order had been sent to the phone companies and officers are waiting for warrants to get the records. Downs questioned the information received from the phones but Brooks answered that warrants had not been received yet, therefore no information had been obtained.

Judge Castillo ruled separately on each case that probable cause exists in both cases to bind the matter over to the Monroe County Grand Jury.