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Teen murder case expected to draw media spotlight on Fayette

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@thecitizennews.com

A news search engine for the Internet reported 495 hits on stories Friday morning about the murder of Carl and Sarah Collier, who police say were killed in their north Fayette home Monday by their granddaughter, Holly Ann Harvey, 15, and her girlfriend, Sandy Ketchum, 16.

The teens have been charged with four counts of murder each and will be tried as adults.

The court cases are expected to draw much attention to Fayette County, particularly due to the dramatic nature of the crime. Police said just before the killings, Harvey had written a checklist on her arm in ink with the words “kill,” “keys,” “money” and “jewelry.”

Holly likely lured her grandparents down to her basement bedroom by smoking marijuana, and Sandy hid under Holly’s bed with a knife when the struggle began, police said. Ultimately, Sandy joined the fight and stabbed Sarah Collier. The Colliers were each stabbed more than 15 times, but Sarah Collier was stabbed many more times than that, said Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan, director of investigations for the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department.

Harvey and Ketchum also called friends on a cellphone after the killings, asking if their friends had seen anything on the news yet about the deaths of Harvey’s grandparents, who were raising her while her mother was in jail serving time for drug charges.

The media posturing began Thursday at a first appearance hearing in Fayette County Magistrate Court when defense attorneys Lloyd Walker and Judy Chidester,- who are representing the girls separately,- asked for video and still cameras to be banned from the courtroom during the hearing.

Walker argued that the case has already become “a media circus” and allowing the cameras to record his client’s face would do further harm to her right to an impartial jury trial.

Chief Magistrate Charles Floyd denied Walker’s motion after several media representatives argued in favor of allowing the cameras to remain.

The girls entered the room separately (Sandy has cooperated with police while Holly has not)- with bulletproof vests on. Both are also on suicide watch at separate juvenile detention facilities, police said.