It’s been nearly six years since authorities found 21-year-old Chance LeCroy dead in his bedroom in Hixson. But one of his accused killers appears to finally be going to trial in Hamilton County Criminal Court later this month.
Patrick Carmody shuffled into court Tuesday morning, hands shackled and carrying a manila envelope as he made his way to sit beside his attorney, Lee Ortwein, to iron out the final details of his murder trial. The 47-year-old has been incarcerated on a $2 million bond, records show, for his role in what prosecutors say was a robbery-turned-fatal shooting in September 2010. Starting May 24, jurors will decide what to do with his felony murder and especially aggravated robbery charges.
After listening to the discussion, Judge Barry Steelman appeared relieved. “All right,” he said. “Let’s start this trial then.”
Prosecutors say Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies were called Sept. 9, 2010, to 1211 Johnston Terrace, where they found LeCroy and Tucker King, his roommate. King said a white man in a hoodie held him at gunpoint while another man shot LeCroy in his bedroom. Afterward, the suspects took off in an old gray pickup truck.
Investigators labored for nearly two years, interviewing several witnesses and suspects. They finally pinpointed Carmody, Billy Bob Partin and Ronald Pittman, who were ushered into Hamilton County General Sessions Court and sent to a grand jury in August 2012.