Man charged with killing 2 dies after positive COVID-19 test
LEBANON, Ky. (AP) — A man charged with two counts of murder in the deaths of a northern Kentucky couple has died from COVID-19 complications while in custody awaiting trial, an official said.
Craig Pennington, 56, died on Monday afternoon at Norton Healthcare in Louisville, Marion County Detention Center Chief of Security Irvin Mann told news outlets. Mann said Pennington was hospitalized on Dec. 11 for shortness of breath and tested positive for COVID-19 while hospitalized.
Pennington was charged in July 2016 with killing 38-year-old Robert K. Jones and 35-year-old Crystal J. Warner.
Warner and Jones, both of Florence, went missing July 3 and their bodies were later found in different counties.
Kentucky State Police said Pennington rented a cabin from Jones in Washington County, and the two victims went to the cabin to discuss the property with Pennington before they disappeared.
Pennington had pleaded not guilty to murder and other charges and was scheduled for a pretrial conference on Jan. 15, according to court records.
Ten out of about 215 inmates at the jail were infected with COVID-19 as of Tuesday morning, Mann said. The facility has taken multiple precautions to control the virus's spread, he said.
