Wife admits plot against husband

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Courtney Duval Jacob flashed her wedding ring and a broad smile minutes before admitting that she tried to hire someone to kill her husband, Bobby Kimbrough Jr.

Kimbrough told the court Wednesday that he still loves her and he wants to keep the marriage intact.

He added that he was not afraid of Jacob, but he would be "guarded" at first when she comes home.

"Most people think I'm a fool for sticking with her," he said.

Jacob, of Newnan, pled guilty to conspiracy to commit murder Wednesday morning before Chief Superior Court Judge Ben Miller. But Miller still has not determined whether he will approve a regular guilty plea or a plea of guilty but mentally ill.

The mentally ill plea would allow Jacob to be evaluated by the state for mental illness and receive treatment if necessary, said District Attorney William McBroom. Miller said he expected to issue an order by the first of next week.

Jacob's attorneys asked Miller to sentence her to probation so she could receive better treatment.

Jacob has been diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder, psychiatrists testified. But McBroom argued that Jacob knew what she was doing when she attempted to hire an undercover GBI agent to kill her husband.

A black-and-white surveillance video of a November 1999 meeting between Jacob and agent Patrick Skinner was played in court. It showed Jacob giving Skinner a white box that included a gun, photos of her husband and his vehicle and five $100 bills as a down payment for the hit.

Jacob told Skinner she was very concerned that Kimbrough's death look like an accident.

She gave Skinner a date and time to make his move: Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. so she wouldn't be home at the time.

"That's a wonderful alibi for me," she said. "I'll be with people ..."

Jacob also told Skinner it was very important that she not be linked to the killing.

"I'm not going to jail for this jerk," she said as the meeting ended, moments before she was arrested by police in the McDonald's parking lot on Ga. Highway 54 in Peachtree City.

Earlier in the video, Jacob said she wanted the killing to be "clean." She said if Skinner shot Kimbrough as originally planned, "it screams of hit."

Instead, Jacob suggested that Skinner meet Kimbrough at their home under the auspices of looking at car parts. Then, Skinner could knock out Kimbrough, place his body under the propped-up car and drop the car on his body.

"The important thing is this has to look like an accident," Jacob said.

Addressing the court at the end of the hearing, Jacob said the surveillance video was the "most horrible thing I've ever seen. "It was like watching a movie of someone else."

Kimbrough, on the stand, said he wanted to patch up their marriage. He agreed to make sure Jacob receives treatment for her mental disorder, and he also agreed to insure she takes her medication.

If she didn't, he would notify the court and her probation officer, he said.

Kimbrough said his wife had been acting so erratically before her arrest that he wasn't very surprised when GBI agents told him his wife was arrested for planning to kill him.

Kimbrough said before her arrest, Jacob accused him of plotting to kill her, having an affair and molesting his children, which he vehemently denied. Still, she wouldn't accept his explanation, he added.

Once, she pulled a gun on him when they were wrestling with each other while fooling around, Kimbrough said.

Later, Skinner testified that he was brought into the case after someone tipped off the Peachtree City Police Department about Jacob wanting to hire someone to kill her husband.

Skinner said he first met with Jacob at Shadows Restaurant in Peachtree City to discuss what she wanted. He said he told her she could change her mind about the killing and he would back off with no problem.

Jacob's father, mother and sister testified that her mood and demeanor changed dramatically after she was struck in the head and trampled during a horse riding accident in the spring of 1999. They said she became withdrawn from family members she was once close with.

Jacob's attorneys said Miller could enact strict probation conditions to insure that she receives treatment and keeps taking her medication.

"Sending her back to jail would do very little," said Janet Harris, who defended Jacob along with attorney Ed Garland.

"This crime would have never been committed except for that mental illness," Harris said.

Miller said he requested that the two different pleas be entered so he could hear evidence before determining which course of action was more appropriate.

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