Wednesday, January 31, 2001

Woman who hired assassin gets 3 years in jail, probation

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Having admitted in court that she hired someone to kill her newlywed husband, Courtney Duval Jacob will remain in jail a little longer.

In a written order released Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Ben Miller sentenced the Newnan woman to a total of 10 years, with three to serve in jail and the remainder of the sentence on probation.

Jacob must also hire her own psychiatrist once she is released on probation, and that psychiatrist must make monthly reports to the probation office and the court, Miller said in the order.

A surveillance video of the November 1999 meeting between Jacob and undercover agent Patrick Skinner of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation at the McDonald's in Peachtree City was played during last week's court hearing.

The tape showed Jacob giving Skinner a white box that included a gun, photos of her husband and his vehicle and five $100 bills as a downpayment for the hit.

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

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," she said.

Last week, Jacob pled guilty to hiring a man to kill her husband of three months, Bobby Kimbrough. Kimbrough also told the court that he wanted to keep their marriage intact, and he will make sure she keeps doctor appointments and takes her medication.

Miller rejected Jacob's other plea of guilty but mentally ill. In the order, he said if Jacob's delusions existed, "hiring an assassin to kill her husband was not justified."

Jacob could receive credit for her time served in jail so far, although Judge Miller leaves that determination up to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

Miller also handed down a $3,000 fine in addition to the jail/probation sentence.

In court last week, psychiatrists for both the prosecution and the defense agreed that Jacob suffered from a personality disorder.

Kimbrough said she accused him of having an affair with another woman and molesting one of his children from a previous marriage. He also said she wouldn't have benefitted financially from his death since both his children were listed as the sole beneficiaries of his life insurance policies.