Ky. mansion murder suspect not allowed to change plea

MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - The man charged in a deadly home invasion was not allowed to change his plea in court Monday.

Police say Shannon Gilday killed Jordan Morgan after breaking into her father’s home in February. The allegations have been that Gilday targeted the home for its doomsday bunker and wanted to take it over for fear of a pending nuclear attack.

Last week, Gilday’s attorney, Tom Griffiths, said he would enter a plea of ‘guilty but mentally ill.’ However, during Monday morning’s hearing prosecutors said they want proof that Gilday is mentally ill before he can change his plea.

Griffiths says the proof is already there.

After some back and forth with both attorneys, the judge entered a not guilty plea for Gilday.

“Well, the judge did the only thing she could do. We were unable to go forward with our plea of guilty but mentally ill, which is what we hoped to do last week and still hoped to do this morning,” said Tom Griffiths, Gilday’s attorney. “But, since we were unable to go forward the rules are clear that the court needs to carry the case forward.”

Also in a somewhat unusual move, Gilday’s attorney is not asking for, nor does he want, “discovery” in the case. That is basically the evidence the prosecution has. Griffiths says they already know what Gilday did and everything about it.

Gilday’s next court appearance, a pre-trial hearing, is set for July 22.

Gilday is also facing other charges in a separate case, where he’s accused of assaulting a corrections officer.

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