A not guilty plea was entered Wednesday for a Trigg County woman facing charges connected to the September Will Jackson Road arson that killed Thelma “Illene” Barnett.
Keisha Stewart and public defender Cody Hooks appeared virtually before Trigg Circuit Judge Woody Woodall. Stewart faces charges of second-degree arson, abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and second-degree burglary. Judge Woodall accepted the not guilty plea.
Judge Woodall denied the request, with another pre-trial hearing scheduled for June. Gentry’s original bond was $1 million.
Gentry is charged with murder, first-degree robbery, and being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun. State police arrested Gentry after Hayes’ body was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a hay barn on Buffalo Road on November 28, 2018.