MINGO COUNTY, WV (WOWK) – A man accused of killing a West Virginia State Police trooper waived his preliminary hearing in a court appearance this morning.
The case will now move to a Mingo County grand jury within the next several months to as late as January 2024.
Timothy Kennedy is facing charges in the June 2, 2023, shooting death WVSP Sgt. Cory Maynard in an ambush and shooting another man.
Kennedy, 29, of Matewan, was arrested just before 11 p.m. on Friday, June 2 after an hours-long manhunt. He was found in a stolen vehicle, according to the WVSP. He was arraigned the following morning at 10 a.m.
The West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation website lists his charge as first-degree murder. He is being held in the Southwestern Regional Jail without bond.
So far, Kennedy is only charged in the murder of Sgt. Maynard. However, Mingo County Prosecuting Attorney Jonathan Duke Jewell says Kennedy could also face additional charges in connection to the shooting of a 39-year-old civilian, allegedly stealing a car and resisting arrest.
Jewell says the case is very complex and it will take time for investigators to collect forensic testing.
“In real time a week ago when these horrific events were happening, the state police’s top priority was, of course, public safety and to apprehend the suspect,” Jewell said. “Once the state police captured the suspect, and now defendant, Timothy Kennedy, the focus is going to be on the investigation. They’re going to back up and investigate what we believe to be the first shooting by Timothy Kennedy.”
On Tuesday, Kennedy pleaded not guilty to the charges against him in a bond hearing.
The West Virginia State Police said Sgt. Maynard, 37, was with the WVSP since Oct. 9, 2007. He was a tissue donor. He was married and had two children, 13 and 9, and was from Pike County, Kentucky. According to authorities, a 39-year-old was also shot in the incident that killed Maynard. That person was flown to the hospital and as of Saturday, was in critical but stable condition.
Who is Timothy Kennedy?
According to court records, his first offense was at 19 years old. He was charged with consumption of alcohol by a minor, later dismissed, and driving under the influence, for which he entered a guilty plea agreement. Seven months later in December 2013, he was charged with a handful of misdemeanors including obstructing an officer, unauthorized acts/possession of regard to wildlife and unlawful methods of hunting. Kennedy pleaded guilty to possession of wildlife and unlawful methods of hunting; the other charges were dismissed.
Kennedy, then 24, of Matewan, admitted to having sex, and taking meth and prescription pills with a minor on Oct. 18, 2018, according to the complaint. He was charged with third-degree sexual assault and contributing to delinquency of a child. These charges were eventually dropped.
One day later, a complaint said Kennedy went to a person’s house with a firearm in a bloody sweatshirt. When law enforcement arrived, they asked Kennedy to put his hands. Kennedy then reached into his pockets and waistband.
Kennedy began fleeing on foot after an officer shot at him. Kennedy was arrested and was found to have a syringe and alprazolam, an anxiety medication. Officers later found a pistol and a magazine with eight rounds he had thrown into weeds while running away from officers, according to the complaint. In Kennedy’s vehicle, officers also found a clip for a semi-automatic pistol.
In 2020, Kennedy, then 26, was reported missing. He was later found 400 feet into a closed mine in a Gilbert area that had not produced coal since 2011. Rescuers found evidence of copper removal during their search. The Department of Health and Human Resources at the time said Kennedy had become lost after trespassing.
This is a developing story. WOWK 13 News will update this article as more information becomes available.