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Thread: Nicholas Rucker Sentenced to 65 Years in 2019 KY Slaying of Vicki S. Conner

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    Nicholas Rucker Sentenced to 65 Years in 2019 KY Slaying of Vicki S. Conner


    Vicki Conner






    Nicholas Rucker indicted in murder case


    By Timothy Wyatt
    The Morehead Press

    WHITLEY COUNTY — A Corbin man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend in May before fleeing the scene and eluding police for more than a month was indicted Monday by a Whitley County grand jury.

    Nicholas Rucker, 38, was named in a three-count indictment for charges that occurred May 22.

    Count one of the indictment charges Rucker with murder.

    Count two of the indictment charges Rucker with tampering with physical evidence.

    Count three of the indictment charges Rucker with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

    On the date listed in the indictment, law enforcement says Rucker shot Vicki S. Conner, 57, at a residence where the pair had been staying. Roger Witt, the homeowner of the residence, testified at Rucker’s preliminary hearing in Whitley District Court last month, where he stated that there were at least five other individuals in the home at the time the incident took place.

    According to Witt, Rucker and Conner had been living with him for “a couple of weeks,” and they helped him around the house in exchange for board.

    During Witt’s testimony, he detailed the moments leading up to the incident on the night of the shooting, saying that Conner had come from the bedroom to the living room with the others as she was making a grocery list, but was called back to the bedroom by Rucker. Within just a few minutes, Witt said he heard a gunshot. Rucker soon emerged from the bedroom, according to Witt, holding a gun out in the palm of his hand with his arms covered in blood.

    “The first thing he said to me when he came out was ‘Oh, my God, Roger. Vicki just shot herself,’” said Witt, during the hearing.

    Witt stated that he got his phone, called 911 and went down the hallway to the bedroom where Rucker and Conner had been, where he said he found Rucker standing over Conner’s body. Witt claimed that he continued the call with emergency personnel on speakerphone while attempting to perform CPR on Conner. It was during that time, Rucker fled the residence, according to Witt. Rucker never returned to the home.

    The investigating officer, Kentucky State Police Post 11 Detective Deckers Larkey, also testified during last month’s hearing, stating that witnesses told police that they saw a male, identified as Rucker, leaving the home with blood on his arms and carrying a gun.

    Larkey also stated that Conner suffered a single gunshot wound to the head, which was later determined by the state medical examiner’s office in Frankfort to be the cause of death during an autopsy. The entry wound was located just above Conner’s brow line on her forehead and the exit wound in the rear of her skull. The examiner stated that the wound showed sever stippling, something that is common with gunshot wounds received at close range, according to Larkey.

    A Taurus G2 9mm handgun was later located approximately a mile from the residence where the shooting occurred, which was buried under some dirt and leaves. Larkey said during the hearing that the gun was “damaged and disabled” when it was found and appeared to have blood on it. The gun is believed to be the weapon used to kill Conner and has since been sent off to the KSP Crime Lab to be analyzed.

    Soon after the incident, police obtained a warrant for Rucker’s arrest, though he could not be located for several weeks. Multiple reports of people claiming to have seen Rucker were received by different law enforcement agencies during that time, with some coming out of Tennessee. Rucker continued to elude police until a tip was received in the early hours of July 4 that he had been spotted at a residence on Meadow Lark Circle in Corbin, where deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department located him walking out of a wood line and through the backyard of a residence.

    According to the deputies, Rucker ran into a nearby home and then out of one of the exits in attempt to flee. He ran from deputies on foot before being tackled to the ground. According to deputies, Rucker refused to be handcuffed, but after following a brief scuffle with deputies, he was taken into custody.

    Rucker currently remains jailed in the Whitley County Detention Center.

    He is also facing charges in Knox County as a result of his arrest.

    An indictment is a formal charge by a grand jury; it is not a conviction or an admission of guilt.

    https://www.themoreheadnews.com/kent...58c71b5dd.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Edited:

    Prosecutors seeking death penalty against recently indicted Nicholas Rucker

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a Woodbine man, who was indicted Monday for allegedly killing his girlfriend in May before fleeing the scene and spending 44 days on the run.

    https://www.thenewsjournal.net/prose...cholas-rucker/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Trial date set for Nicholas Rucker's case in Knox County

    By Jarrod Mills
    Times-Tribune

    KNOX COUNTY — A Corbin man facing charges in Whitley County for fatally shooting his girlfriend in May was in Knox County court over charges stemming from the incident.

    Nicholas Rucker was in Knox County Circuit Court Friday morning where it was ruled that his trial date be scheduled for Dec. 10 for his Knox County charges. Rucker is facing one count of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and one count of being in possession of drug paraphernalia in Knox County.

    Rucker was indicted by a Whitley County grand jury in August for charges that occurred May 22.

    Count one of the indictment charges Rucker with murder. Count two of the indictment charges Rucker with tampering with physical evidence. Count three of the indictment charges Rucker with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

    On the date listed in the indictment, law enforcement says Rucker shot and killed Vicki S. Conner, 57, at a residence where the pair had been staying. Roger Witt, the homeowner of the residence, testified in Rucker’s preliminary hearing in July that he was at the residence when the incident took place.

    According to Witt’s testimony Conner had come from the bedroom to the living room with others as she was making a grocery list, but was called back to the bedroom by Rucker. Within just a few minutes, Witt said he heard a gun shot. Rucker soon emerged from the bedroom, according to Witt, holding a gun out in the palm of his hand with his arms covered in blood.

    Soon after the incident, police obtained a warrant for Rucker’s arrest, though he could not be located for several weeks. Multiple reports of people claiming to have seen Rucker were received by different law enforcement agencies during that time, with some coming out of Tennessee.

    Rucker continued to elude police until a tip was received in the early hours of July 4 that he had been spotted at a residence on Meadow Lark Circle in Corbin, where deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department located him walking out of a wood line and through the backyard of a residence.

    According to the deputies, Rucker ran into a nearby home and then out of one of the exits in attempt to flee. He ran from deputies on foot before being tackled to the ground. According to deputies, Rucker refused to be handcuffed, but after following a brief scuffle with deputies, he was taken into custody.

    Rucker is due back in Whitley County court on Nov. 18 for a pre-trial conference.

    Rucker currently remains jailed in the Whitley County Detention Center.

    https://www.thetimestribune.com/news...a29f1020d.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    April 20, 2021

    Hearing held for man facing murder charges for killing girlfriend in 2019

    By Jarrod Mills
    Times-Tribune

    WHITLEY COUNTY - A status hearing was held Thursday morning in Whitley County Circuit Court for a man accused of killing his girlfriend in 2019.

    Nicholas M. Rucker, 40, was not virtually present for the brief status hearing held Thursday morning, but his attorney, Kim Green was. So too was Commonwealth Attorney Ronnie Bowling who explained to Judge Paul Winchester that the two sides were meeting after the defense had filed a motion to compel outstanding evidence possessed by the Commonwealth.

    “The Commonwealth filed a notice of compliance, and we received in the mail this week, the discovery,” said Green, who also noted that her team had received most of what they asked for, but that she had not had time to go through it.

    Bowling said the Commonwealth had included explanations as to why it could not respond to some of the information requested by the defense. Part of the reason was due to the fact the Commonwealth did not have responsive documents to what was requested.

    “We put an acknowledgement at the end (of the notice of compliance) that we do understand that it’s an ongoing obligation and understand the duty to supplement if such information becomes available later on,” Bowling explained.

    Green then asked if the court had received the victim’s medical records after the defense had tendered an order requesting that the court review the records in-camera. Judge Winchester said that the court had received the records and that they were in the process of going through them.

    Both sides will meet again on Wednesday, July 28 for an additional status hearing.

    Rucker was indicted by a Whitley County grand jury in August 2019 for charges stemming from an incident that took place earlier that year on May 22, in which the victim, Vicki S. Conner, 57, was killed.

    Count one of the indictment charges Rucker with murder. Count two of the indictment charges Rucker with tampering with physical evidence. Count three of the indictment charges Rucker with possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

    On the date listed in the indictment, law enforcement says Rucker shot and killed Conner at a residence where the pair had been staying.

    Roger Witt, the homeowner of the residence, testified in Rucker’s preliminary hearing in July of last year that he was at the residence when the incident took place.

    According to Witt’s testimony, Conner had come from the bedroom to the living room with others as she was making a grocery list, but was called back to the bedroom by Rucker. Within just a few minutes, Witt said he heard a gun shot. Rucker soon emerged from the bedroom, according to Witt, holding a gun out in the palm of his hand with his arms covered in blood.

    Soon after the incident, police obtained a warrant for Rucker’s arrest, though he could not be located for several weeks. Multiple reports of people claiming to have seen Rucker were received by different law enforcement agencies during that time, with some coming out of Tennessee.

    Rucker continued to elude police until a tip was received in the early hours of July 4, 2019 that he had been spotted at a residence on Meadow Lark Circle in Corbin, where deputies with the Knox County Sheriff’s Department located him walking out of a wood line and through the backyard of a residence.

    According to the deputies, Rucker ran into a nearby home and then out of one of the exits in attempt to flee. He ran from deputies on foot before being tackled to the ground. According to deputies, Rucker refused to be handcuffed, but after following a brief scuffle with deputies, he was taken into custody.

    Rucker was indicted by a Laurel County grand jury on murder charges in 1998 for killing his infant son by shaking him. He was sentenced to 20 years for the murder charge on April 19, 1999, but was released after 12 years.

    https://www.thetimestribune.com/news...25d9db05b.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Rucker enters guilty plea in murder, escape attempt

    By Timothy Wyatt

    News-Journal

    Nicholas Rucker has entered a guilty plea to numerous charges, including murder, in the 2019 death of Vicki Conner and a subsequent failed attempt to escape from jail.

    Following case mediation, Rucker, 42, entered the plea in Whitley Circuit Court on Tuesday afternoon.

    Rucker faced charges of murder, tampering with physical evidence and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon in connection to Conner’s death, as well as charges of attempting to escape from a penitentiary and three counts of kidnapping stemming from an April 2022 incident in which he and another inmate attempted to escape from the Whitley County Detention Center.

    For more information, including the Rucker’s recommended prison sentence, see the Feb. 15 edition of the News Journal.

    https://www.thenewsjournal.net/rucke...scape-attempt/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    SEKY man sentenced to 65 years for murder and attempted escape

    By Chandler Wilcox
    WYMT

    WHITLEY COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Commonwealth’s Attorney Ronnie Bowling says Nicholas Rucker was sentenced to 65 years in prison for multiple charges.

    Rucker was convicted of murder, tampering with physical evidence, felon in possession of a handgun and attempting to escape.

    The Knox County Sheriff’s Department arrested Rucker after he had eluded authorities for 54 days.

    Rucker reportedly killed Vicki Conner in 2019 in Whitley County before going on the run. In 2022, he and another prisoner attempted to escape from the Whitley County Detention Center.

    https://www.wymt.com/2023/03/20/seky...empted-escape/

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