LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB/WAVE) — Six years after a Louisville man was shot and killed, his family is still waiting for the case against the woman accused of killing him to go to trial.
Police said Debra Rainey shot and killed Terrance Sheckles July 21, 2020, at about 2 a.m. the Shorty's Food Mart on Garland Avenue, near South 17th Street. Sheckles was pronounced dead at the scene.
According to online court records, police allege Rainey, a neighbor of Sheckles, pulled a handgun out of her pocket during an argument with Sheckles at the store and "demanded he drop his beer."
Sheckles, the citation said, pleaded with Rainey to put the gun away, but she refused. When Sheckles went to walk away, Rainey allegedly raised the gun, said, "I'll kill you," then shot Sheckles in the back of the head.
"It plays in my head every day," said Yolanda Mack, Sheckles' sister.
Rainey was arrested two days after the shooting on charges of murder and tampering with physical evidence. The Commonwealth Attorney’s office confirmed Rainey was released on her own recognizance, meaning she didn’t pay cash bail, and aside from promising to appear in court, there are a few rules she must follow.
"Every day, we're reminded our loved one's not here, and then she's walking and breathing the same air that we're breathing," said Natalie Sheckles Bishop, another one of Sheckles' sisters. "And we got a problem with that."
Prosecutors also confirmed there have been trial delays for several reasons, including questions about Rainey’s competency being questioned and her attorney getting sick and having to step away entirely.
A spokesperson for the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office said prosecutors have fought against Rainey's release and other delays throughout the process.
But Sheckles' sisters said they never thought they would have to wait six years for a chance at justice.
"The prosecutor keeps telling us it’s on tape, the evidence not gonna change, we just gotta wait," Sheckles Bishop said. "Well, we’re tired of waiting."
Rainey's next court date is scheduled for late September.
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