PULASKI COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18)– The suspect accused of murdering a man and injuring two women in 2017 appeared in court Wednesday for a change of plea.
Police say Cody Hall used a machete and a gun to commit the act that has changed two families’ lives forever.
Hall pleaded guilty to all the charges against him, but the victim’s family says the 23-year sentence that’s been recommended is still not enough. To them, no amount of time will heal the pain.
Hall is facing multiple charges, including one count of murder, two counts of first-degree assault, third-degree assault, and one count of wanton endangerment.
The Commonwealth Attorney told LEX 18 that Hall was under the influence of meth and thought his son was in danger when he went into the home where he injured the two women—one of which is his half-sister; and then killed 50-year-old Scott Holbrook.
“Hopefully he’s remorseful, maybe we’ll find out at sentencing. Hopefully at sentencing maybe he will express some remorse to the family. I’m sure they’d like to hear that,” said Commonwealth Attorney Eddie Montgomery.
Holbrook’s family appeared in court, wearing shirts in his memory.
His mother says she knows she needs to forgive to be forgiven but right now she says it’s just too hard.
“We knew he was guilty to start with because he was caught red-handed,” said Mildred Stephens. “You know, with everything. It was the hardest day of my life when the coroner came up. I can’t get it out of my mind.”
“I protected him. All of his life. I wish I was there to protect him that day it’s always on my heart. He’s my baby brother and I couldn’t help him,” said his older sister Crystal Holbrook.
Hall will be back in court for sentencing June 6.
The judge did agree to allow the family to make a statement.
They say they hope they’ll hear from Hall as well as they hope to gain some closure.
“That day that he was killed I found out that I was having a little boy,” said Holbrook’s little sister Elizabeth Stephens. “I named him after his Uncle Scott. And he always told me that I was having a boy, and I thought it was a girl and he said, ‘well as soon as you find out call me.’ And I did, and he wasn’t answering the phone that day. And it was going straight to voicemail and I was getting mad. And then probably an hour later I got a call from my sister so let me know that Scotty was killed.”
