Judge enters 'not guilty' plea for man accused of killing daughter of former Kentucky lawmaker

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A judge entered a not guilty plea on behalf of the man accused of killing the daughter of a former Kentucky lawmaker.

According to a report by LEX 18, the judge entered the plea Monday morning on behalf of Richmond murder suspect Shannon Gilday.

Gilday, 23, is accused of killing a sleeping Jordan Morgan, 32, in a violent home invasion in Richmond, Kentucky, in February. He's charged with capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and first-degree criminal mischief.

He is also accused of shooting her father, former state representative C. Wesley Morgan. Morgan apparently exchanged gunfire with Gilday and may have wounded him. Gilday was arrested nearly a week later after deputies found him walking along the exit 87 overpass on Interstate 75, less than two miles from the family's home.

The plea went against the wishes of Gilday's attorney, Tom Griffiths, who wanted to enter a plea of guilty but mentally ill on his behalf.

In a hearing last week, Griffiths argued that his client is "profoundly mentally ill."

"Everything that happened in this case is all bound up and caused by his mental illness," Griffiths said. "He's not denying what happened. He wants to accept responsibility. This is our first time in court. This is our first appearance, our first opportunity. And that's the question the judge is required to ask: How do you plead? And that was our honest answer."

According to a search warrant, Gilday wrote notes about finding the bunker inside the Morgan family's home. In the warrant, a friend of Gilday's found notes that referenced the Morgan family's home as well as their sleep schedules. The search warrant says he wrote down details about the $6.5 million home, including where cameras and potential access points could be. He also previously attempted to gain access to the bunker before the shooting.

The prosecutor argued against accepting the "guilty but mentally ill" plea.

A pre-trial conference has be scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 22.

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