Kingston courthouse shooting

The 2005 Roane County Courthouse shooting, also referred to as the Kingston courthouse shooting, was the fatal shooting of a Tennessee Department of Correction transport officer, and wounding of another officer in Kingston, Tennessee, United States, on the date of August 9 2005. The shooter was Jennifer Forsyth Hyatte (born 11 February 1974). Her husband, George Hyatte, pleaded guilty to a robbery charge in the courthouse right before she pulled out the gun and started shooting. Jennifer Hyatte currently is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, while her husband is awaiting trial.

The shooting

At approximately 10:00 a.m., during a court hearing, Tennessee Department of Correction transport officer Wayne "Cotton" Morgan was fatally shot three times by Jennifer Forsyth Hyatte, whose husband, George Hyatte, pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery in the courtroom, and screamed "Shoot him! [the officer] " right before she opened fire. The officer was airlifted to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he was pronounced dead. One other officer was shot and critically injured in the stomach, but was later released from another hospital.

Witnesses claimed that Jennifer Hyatte stormed out of the courthouse, where she got into a Ford Explorer, which was later found abandoned. Police later announced that they believed she was driving a gold Chevrolet Venture with the license plate number GFU-155. They also said that George Hyatte got into the Ford Explorer that his wife was driving.

On August 10, the Chevrolet Venture used was found in the parking lot of an Econo Lodge in Erlanger, Kentucky, but neither Hyatte was found. The same night the Hyattes were charged with first-degree murder.

Capture

On August 10, 2005, around 10:00pm, the Hyattes were captured at an America's Best Value Inn located in Columbus, Ohio. The couple was captured after a cab driver named Mike Wagers drove them from Erlanger, Kentucky, to the hotel. The Hyattes reportedly said that they were attending an Amway convention. Wagers later called the police and the SWAT team captured them. It was reported that weapons were found in the hotel.

Court proceedings

On September 17, 2007, Jennifer Hyatte pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections website, her TOMIS (Tennessee Offender Management Information System) number is 00394869, her imprisonment began on 10th August 2005 and she is incarcerated at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville.

As a condition of the plea bargain which allowed her to avoid the death penalty, she has agreed to testify against George Hyatte, who is still awaiting trial [http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=7084771] .

References

* CNN.com . “Courthouse Shooting Leaves Officer Dead.” CNN transcript, draft [?] . Tony Harris, host. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/09/lol.01.html , 9 Aug 2005. Accessed 30 May 2006.

* Dill, Amanda, Producer. “National memorial adds Tennessee officers killed in line of duty,” AP, WBIR.com, http://www.wbir.com/news/archive.aspx?storyid=34291 , 13 May 2006, 11:56:27 PM. Accessed 30 May 2006.

* Silence, Michael, “Breaking News: Courthouse Shooting,” "Knox News" [online version of "Knoxville News Sentinel"] http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2005/08/breaking_news_c.shtml , 9 Aug 2005, 11:35 AM. Accessed 30 May 2006.
* State of Tennessee, Department of Corrections. News Release. “Inmate Escapes From Roane County Courthouse, Correctional Officer Fatally Wounded,” http://www.tennessee.gov/correction/newsreleases/2005news/hyatteescapes.html 9 Aug 2005. Accessed 30 May 2006.

External links

* [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,165363,00.html Fox News Capture Story]
* [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/11/hyatte.details/ CNN Capture Story]
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8896568/ MSNBC Coverage]