Bullitt County jury sentences St. Clair to death in Brady murder retrial

STAFF REPORT

Michael St. Clair was sentenced Friday by a Bullitt County jury to death for the 1991 murder of Bardstown resident Frank Brady. Click image to enlarge.

Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, 10:30 p.m. — Attorney General Jack Conway and his Office of Special Prosecutions today announced the unanimous verdict of death for serial killer Michael St. Clair in the execution-style slaying of Frank Brady in 1991.  A Bullitt Circuit Court jury issued its verdict this afternoon after three hours of deliberations.

During the week-long trial, jurors heard testimony detailing how St. Clair and an accomplice, both escapees from an Oklahoma jail, embarked on a multi-state crime spree that left two people dead. On Oct. 6, 1991, St. Clair and his accomplice abducted Brady, a distillery worker from Nelson County, at a Hardin County rest stop.  The pair took Brady to an isolated, wooded area in Bullitt County where St. Clair handcuffed his victim and then shot him multiple times.  Jurors also heard testimony about four additional murders committed by St. Clair prior to his escape.

“I appreciate the hard work of my prosecutors and the careful consideration of the evidence by the jury,” General Conway said. “My office remains committed to seeking justice for Kentucky’s crime victims. I hope this verdict will bring closure to the Brady family.”

The Bullitt Circuit Court jury was empanelled this week to decide St. Clair’s sentence following a reversal by the Kentucky Supreme Court for what was deemed to be an error in jury instructions in St. Clair’s 2005 murder trial.

Sentencing before Special Judge Geoffrey Morris is scheduled for Nov. 16, 2011. St. Clair is also set to stand trial in Hardin County in January 2012 on capital kidnapping and other charges.

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