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Deputies escort suspect Thomas Hager Jr. into Boyle Circuit Court on Tuesday for his arraignment. Hager pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the May 21 shooting deaths of Ted Sparks and Mark Snyder. (Todd Kleffman/tkleffman@amnews.com / July 11, 2012) |
Thomas Hager Jr. was arraigned Tuesday in Boyle Circuit Court, where he was assigned two public defenders and pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the May shooting deaths of two men inside a Danville home.
Judge Darren Peckler ordered Hager to continue to be held without bond and scheduled a status hearing in the case for Aug. 7.
Assigned to defend Hager in what could be a death-penalty case were Aaron Currin with the Capital Trials Branch of the Lexington Public Defender’s Office and Ernie Lewis, former executive director of the state Department of Public Advocacy.
Last month, a Boyle County grand jury indicted Hager on two counts of murder, first-degree assault and tampering with evidence in connection with the May 21 shootings that left Ted Sparks, 54, of Danville and Mark Snyder, 21, of Waynesburg dead, and Phillip White, 37, of Lancaster, seriously injured.
The four men came together at Sparks’ home at 477 High St. Sparks and Snyder were shot at close range, and White was hit as he was trying to flee the scene. Police have called the shootings drug related but provided few other details.
As with previous court appearances, Hager was wearing a bullet-proof vest Tuesday for his arraignment, rare protection for an inmate. Boyle Deputy Sheriff Dustin Clem said the vest was “just a precautionary measure,” declining to say if Hager had received any threats.
