RICHMOND, Ky. (LEX 18) — Nearly three years after 32-year-old Jordan Morgan was shot and killed inside her Madison County home, her family and friends are continuing to advocate for her alleged killer to face the death penalty.
Shannon Gilday was just 22 years old when he was charged with Morgan's murder in early 2022.
Gilday appeared in court again on Friday as his defense team pushed to exclude the death penalty as a possible sentence ahead of his May trial start date.
Police say Gilday broke into former state lawmaker C. Wesley Morgan's home in February 2022 and killed his daughter, Jordan, while attempting to access a bunker underneath the house.
A psychological evaluation filed by Gilday's defense team reported Gilday wanted access to the bunker after becoming distraught about the idea of a nuclear war following a false alarm that was sounded in Hawaii in 2018.
His defense team believes his mental state is reason to prevent the death penalty if Gilday is found guilty.
Jordan Morgan's family and friends disagree.
"I'm very comfortable in defending my daughter by having her killer get the death penalty," said Lisa Foster, Morgan's mother, at Friday's hearing.
As the Commonwealth awaits results from its own psychological evaluation of Gilday, Judge Cole Maier agreed to postpone hearing any testimony or evidence on the matter until Jan. 27.
It comes as Feb. 22 will mark the third anniversary of Morgan's death.
"I think we are ready to get this part of it behind us," Morgan's friend, Mica Sims, said of the trial. "I don't think there will be any closure, I think that we are just ready to stop having to come up here and do this."
Gilday's trial is set to begin on May 5, 2025.
