ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (Court TV) — A Kentucky couple is facing murder charges after they allegedly threw a man from the balcony of their home.
Nancy and Shawn Durbin are facing murder charges in the death of Bobby Pennington. (Hardin County Jail)
Nancy and Shawn Durbin are being held in the Hardin County Detention Center on charges of murder, according to records reviewed by Court TV. Shawn is additionally charged with assault on a police officer and resisting arrest.
Police say they were called to the Durbins’ home on Nov. 13 after a report of an adult male unresponsive outside who had possibly fallen from a second-story balcony, The News Enterprise reported. When officers arrived on the scene, they saw the victim, later identified as Bobby Pennington, 62, with severe blunt force trauma to his face.
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In a police report, officers said a witness approached them and said she saw the Durbins drag the victim from their home and physically throw him over the balcony handrail, according to The News Enterprise.
Elizabethtown Police Department Public Affairs Officer Chris Denham told WLKY that the attack appeared to be unprovoked and neither Shawn nor Nancy offered any explanation. “There’s absolutely no ownership. It speaks volumes,” Denham said. “Best reports we can come up with is that Mr. Pennington didn’t bother anyone and was thrown off almost a 12-foot balcony and ended his life. It extends well beyond just irrational behavior, and there’s certainly no justification for it.”
An obituary for Pennington described him as a “very generous man” who “loved to ride his bike and give bikes to underprivileged children.”
Shawn and Nancy are due in court on Dec. 9 for their arraignment. They remain in the Hardin County Detention Center on $500,000 bail.
