Knox grand jury indicts Corbin woman in shooting incident

Janie Slaven, The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.
·2 min read

May 7—BARBOURVILLE — The Knox County Grand Jury has indicted a senior woman arrested last January after calling 911 to say she was about to shoot someone at her residence.

Zella Eff Paul, 78, of Corbin, is facing one count of first-degree assault in connection to the incident investigated by Corbin Police.

According to the department, officers were dispatched Jan. 11 to a disturbance at a local trailer park. While the initial report indicated that the caller, Paul, told the dispatcher "she was going to shoot a person at her residence," Knox 911 updated officers en route that the caller had shot someone.

Responding officers found a woman who had been shot, who was subsequently transported for treatment and is in reportedly stable condition.

Following the execution of a search warrant, officers arrested Paul on an initial charge of attempted murder. She was lodged in the Knox County Detention Center under a $25,000 bond.

In an update to their initial announcement, CPD didn't release additional details due to the ongoing investigation but asserted that Paul would not have been charged had there been evidence to support the castle doctrine, which allows for defense against home intrusion.

Paul's arrest citation indicated the victim was her caretaker. Paul told authorities that the woman "had been in her face cursing at her" while the woman, who was shot above her right knee, told them that "Paul went crazy on her" before the incident.

Patrolman Chris Brown, Detective Robbie Hodge, Sergeant Jeff Hill, Patrolman Zach Johnson, and Patrolman Wayne Bird conducted and assisted with the investigation. Corbin Fire Department and Knox EMS assisted on the scene.

Paul was released on the partially secured bond on February 16. Upon her April 26 indictment, she was remanded back into custody in lieu of a $10,000 bond.

Last Tuesday, Knox Circuit Judge Gregory Lay issued an order to evaluate Paul's criminal responsibility and competency. She is next scheduled for a pretrial conference on May 24.

An indictment is an accusation only and does not imply guilt or innocence. Persons are considered innocent until proven guilty under state and federal law.