A trial date could be set if a plea agreement cannot be reached in the case against two men accused of killing a Clarksville teen and dumping his body on the side of a road in Oak Grove in 2016.
Dequavion James and Leonardo Miller are charged with murder, first-degree robbery, and tampering with physical evidence. They are accused of fatally shooting 19-year old DeAndre Palmer and then hiding his body in a closet before eventually dumping his body on the side of Carter Road in Oak Grove. Police found Palmer’s body on July 20, 2016.
James and his defense attorney, David Rye, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling appeared before Judge John Atkins in Christian County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon. At the pretrial conference, Boling informed Judge Atkins they have had some discussion about a plea agreement but nothing has been accepted at this time. Rye told the judge he is willing to continue to work with Boling toward a possible plea deal.
Judge Atkins set another pretrial conference in the case on Thursday, September 24th for it to be resolved by a plea agreement or the case will be set for trial.
Following James’ appearance, Miller and his defense attorney Tyler Brown appeared before Judge Atkins and were advised of the next pretrial conference on September 24th.
Both Miller and Brown remained lodged in the Christian County Jail and appeared electronically for the pretrial conference Tuesday.
