Guilty plea from man charged in connection to police officer’s murder

RICHMOND, Ky. (WTVQ) – A man who police say drove an accused cop killer to a gas station to commit a robbery, pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges in three pending cases, according to a report in the Richmond Register.

The report says 37-year old Carl Lee Banks drove Raleigh Sizemore to a gas station at the corner of West Main and Fifth streets in Richmond where Sizemore is accused of trying to rob a woman, who fought him off.

Investigators say Richmond Police Officer Daniel Ellis tracked Sizemore down in an apartment, where he shot and killed Officer Ellis as he entered a back room during his search.

Banks was initially charged with attempted first-degree robbery and bail jumping. Prosecutors brought an additional charge of complicity to first-degree wanton endangerment, according to the newspaper.

The state recommended a three-year sentence for Banks, according to the report.

Banks also pleaded guilty to criminal facilitation of attempted first-degree robbery. The state recommended a year sentence to run concurrently with the wanton endangerment charge, according to the Richmond Register.

Prosecutors also recommended a one-year sentence on the first-degree bail jumping charge, to be served consecutively, according to the report.

Banks is scheduled to be sentenced July 28, 2017 in Madison Circuit Court.

54-year old Rita Creech, who police say was with Sizemore and Banks during the attempted robbery, pleaded guilty in May to facilitation of attempted first-degree robbery and first-degree wanton endangerment. She was given credit for time served and sentenced to three years probation. A condition of her probation is she must cooperate with prosecutors who are seeking the death penalty against 36-year old Raleigh Sizemore and 27-year old Gregory Ratliff in connection to the shooting death of Officer Ellis.

Ratliff is accused of answering the door, allowing Officer Ellis and another officer to search the apartment for Sizemore, telling the investigators that Sizemore wasn’t there.