Hearing set for January over destroyed evidence

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge will hear testimony in January over a former Kentucky State Police trooper’s decision to destroy evidence in the case against two men charged with killing an informant.

U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar set a hearing for Jan. 6 in Lexington to review the actions of former detective Jeff Senters. The hearing had been set for Nov. 3, but was delayed because of scheduling conflicts.

The hearing comes in the case of Jimmy D. Benge and Gerald Lee Sizemore. Prosecutors are weighing whether to seek a death sentence for the men if they are convicted of conspiring to kill Eli "Big Eli" Marcum in December 2012.

Prosecutors say the pair killed Marcum in Clay County because he gave information to federal investigators about a drug pipeline from Florida.

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