Published: October 07, 2008 12:16 pm         

Murder trial rescheduled for February

The weapon used to kill Phillip Glodo was a 12-gauge shotgun.

Johnny Phillips is accused of pulling the trigger.

Before Phillips goes to trail, attorneys want to determine what role, if any, a knife found at the scene may have played in the incident.

As a result, Phillips’ trial, which was scheduled to begin Wednesday, has been rescheduled for Feb. 3.

Phillips appeared in Laurel Circuit Court Thursday for his final pretrial hearing during which attorneys told the court that DNA had been retrieved from the handle of a knife found in the parking lot of Star of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where police found Glodo and Phillips about 11 p.m. Oct. 18.

“It is not blood DNA,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Jackie Steele said confirming that neither Glodo or Phillips had any type of knife wound. “It is touch DNA.”

Steele said the Kentucky State Police Crime Lab has only recently acquired the technology to test for the presence of touch DNA.

Phillips’ attorney, James Hodge asked for a sample of Glodo’s to be compared with the DNA on the knife. Steele also requested Phillips’ DNA be compared to the DNA from the knife.

Judge Roderick Messer agreed to both testing requests and then spoke to the attorneys about potential new trial dates with the parties agreeing to the Feb. 3 date.

Sheriff’s deputies were called to the church by Phillips’ wife. Sheriff Fred Yaden said previously that after the shooting occurred, Phillips called his wife and told her what happened. She, in turn, contacted Laurel County 9-1-1, who dispatched police and emergency personnel to the scene. Police said Glodo was still alive when they arrived, but died a short time later.

Following an investigation by the London-Laurel County Major Crimes Task Force, Phillips was arrested and charged with murder.

Steele said the state is not seeking the death penalty in this case.

Staff writer Dean Manning may be reached at dmanning@sentinel-echo.com.