LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A jury reached a verdict in the case against Shannon Gilday, who was accused of killing the daughter of a former Kentucky lawmaker.
According to reporting from WKYT, Shannon Gilday was found guilty but mentally ill on all charges connected to the murder of Jordan Morgan, daughter of former state Rep. Wesley Morgan.
The week-and-a-half-long trial wrapped up just before noon Thursday in Shelbyville. The jury deliberated into the afternoon before reaching a verdict.
Gilday, 23 at the time, was accused of killing a sleeping Morgan, 32, in a violent home invasion in Richmond, Kentucky, in February 2022. He was charged with capital murder, three counts of attempted murder, first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and first-degree criminal mischief.
He was arrested nearly a week after the murder after deputies found him walking along the Exit 87 overpass on Interstate 75, less than 2 miles from the family's home.
Tom Griffiths, Gilday's attorney, said in 2022 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.
According to WKYT, the defense attorneys argued during the trial that Gilday was "absolutely psychotic" in the moments leading up to the murder, while prosecutors maintain it was a "cold-blooded murder."
A search warrant from the case said Gilday wrote notes about finding the bunker inside the Morgan family's home. In the warrant, a friend of Gilday found notes that referenced the Morgan family's home as well as their sleep schedules. The search warrant said 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.
Jurors will now deliberate on a sentencing recommendation.
This story will be updated.
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