James E. Campbell, 46, appeared in Barren District Court via Zoom on Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, with a noticeably shorter beard than when he was booked on Feb. 10. Campbell is charged with the murder of Roger Noland of Scottsville.
(BRENNAN CRAIN/WCLU NEWS)
By BRENNAN D. CRAIN, WCLU News
GLASGOW — A judge denied Monday to release or modify the bond of a man charged with the murder of a Scottsville man earlier this month.
James E. Campbell, 46, appeared via Zoom in Barren District Court for a probable cause hearing alongside his attorney, Johnny Bell. Campbell is charged with murder and two counts of wanton endangerment after the death of Roger Noland, 35, on Feb. 10. He pleaded not guilty to the murder on Feb. 13.
Glasgow Police Captain Justin Kirkpatrick testified at the hearing about the evening of the alleged murder. He arrested Campbell.
Kirkpatrick said a verbal disagreement ensued the evening of Noland’s death. Several text messages were exchanged earlier in the day before Noland was shot, according to an arrest citation. Neither Kirkpatrick nor Bell had seen all of the messages as of Monday afternoon.
“Do you have any information stating that Ms. Nelson was angry at Mr. Campbell wanting money from him for child support?” Bell asked.
Felicia Nelson, the mother of two of Campbell’s children and apparent girlfriend of Noland, told police she clarified to Campbell she was not angry at him but it was instead “maybe a baby mama,” Kirkpatrick said. He also said Campbell told police there was an issue with child support.
Bell began to ask whether Kirkpatrick had seen messages where Nelson referred to Campbell as a “bitch running his mouth” and then got out of the vehicle when she arrived at his apartment that night. Bell began to ascertain that Noland got out of the vehicle when Campbell said something back to Nelson but was stopped. The prosecution objected to the question.
“I think we’re getting beyond the scope of the preliminary hearing,” said Resa Gardner, assistant commonwealth’s attorney. “This is just a probable cause hearing.”
Bell argued he was trying to explain the scene since Kirkpatrick’s description – in his opinion – included a scene where everyone was “pretty calm and collected” and Campbell still chose to shoot at them.
“I think it’s a far cry from the truth,” Bell said. “I’m asking him through his investigation if he’s seen anything like this.”
The judge permitted the question as to whether any contention existed in the messages, but Kirkpatrick was unable to answer the question since he had not seen the messages. He obtained what information he had through interviews with Nelson and Campbell.
Kirkpatrick mentioned how Campbell had asked Noland, Nelson and her 11-year-old son to leave several times because “he did not want anything to go on in front of his kids.” He went on to explain how the three apparently began to leave but stopped and got back out of the vehicle after something was said. He did not say what was said.
During the testimony, Kirkpatrick also said he did not have any information as to whether Noland or Nelson planned to attack Campbell. The alleged was shaking his head in disbelief when the testimony was given. He continued to shake his head when Kirkpatrick said he was not “100 percent certain” whether officers searched Noland’s vehicle that night for weapons.
Bell argued for a moment about Campbell’s low-risk assessment which evaluates whether a defendant is likely to re-offend or evade before prosecution is complete. The judge reiterated Campbell’s offense is a Class A felony. Gardner also said the offense is one of the most serious offenses “you could have.”
Campbell’s bond remains at $500,00 cash. Pendleton denied any changes to the bond but took it under advisement. The case will now head to a grand jury where an indictment could be returned.
This is a developing story. Follow WCLU Radio online at WCLURadio.com or via the WCLU Radio app.
