Officer quits over destroyed items in slaying case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A federal judge is weighing whether to dismiss murder charges against two men accused of killing a federal informant after a Kentucky state trooper mishandled and destroyed evidence. The trooper has since resigned after admitting he didn’t have authorization to dispose of the evidence.

U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar has scheduled a hearing on Nov. 3 in Lexington to review the actions of former detective Jeff Senters.

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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