Tension ran high in a Fayette circuit courtroom Thursday morning after Judge Julie Goodman approved a motion for a new trial in the case against James Hendron.
Hendron is accused of shooting and killing his 23-year-old son, Austin Hendron, on Father’s Day in 2018.
In February of this year, a jury convicted Hendron of murder and recommended he be sentenced to life in prison.
Nearing the six-year anniversary of her son’s death, Austin’s mom, Tracy Curtsinger, was ready for that sentence.
“It'll be six years in 10 days, and I am upset, I am mad,” said Curtsinger.
Shortly after the jury’s verdict in February, the defense alleged errors in the trial proceeding. They accused the prosecution of having insufficient evidence and misleading testimony, among other accusations.
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Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kathryn Schafer responded to the claim Thursday, saying, “We filed a response to that, completely disagreeing with that. They didn’t object to those things during the trial proceedings, and only after the defendant received a life sentence did they have any complaints.”
On what could have been sentencing day for James Hendron, Judge Goodman ordered a new trial based on those alleged errors.
The announcement caused confusion in the courtroom as people spoke over each other and audibly questioned the judge.
Amid the scene, Judge Goodman threatened to arrest Schafer. Everyone in the courtroom was then asked to leave.
Outside, Schafer shared her side.
“Unfortunately, the Commonwealth and the judge have different opinions on how court proceedings should be held, and the Commonwealth, of course we're just trying to respect victims' rights, they have a loved one who was murdered in cold blood and they just don't think it's fair, and it’s not constitutional that they're not allowed to say what happened,” said Schafer.
The victim’s family didn’t hide their disdain over the judge’s decision.
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“She's gonna do everything in her power to make sure she gets her way, and that lady needs to be removed from the bench,” said the victim’s stepdad, Tim Curtsinger.
Back to the drawing board, awaiting a new trial date, the family said they merely want the justice their son deserves.
“He shot my son Austin in cold blood and I just want to get justice for him, and we still can’t get justice because of this judge,” said the victim’s mom.
LEX 18 reached out to Judge Julie Goodman’s office for clarification on the decision to approve the motion for a new trial. Office staff said that Goodman would be unavailable all day.
