KOKOMO, Ind. – A man who was supposed to go on trial this week in a cold case murder had his trial moved to December.
A judge granted a motion Monday to continue Joey McCartney’s trial until Dec. 5, 2023, after the state requested a continuance.
The trial had been scheduled to start on Tuesday, just days after a jury acquitted McCartney’s brother, Jesse, on charges of murder and burglary.
The two were accused of killing 21-year-old Destiny Pittman. On Feb. 7, 2013, officers with the Kokomo Police Department responded to a reported shooting in the 800 block of James Drive around 9:30 p.m. When they arrived, Pittman was unconscious and unresponsive. She later died from her injuries.
The case went unsolved for nearly a decade until an informant stepped forward and claimed to have been with the brothers on the night of Pittman’s death. The informant reported hearing gunshots after the brothers went into the home.
Jesse McCartney returned with cash and a bag of marijuana, the informant said. The information led Kokomo police to announce the arrest of both brothers in March 2023.
Jurors took less than 90 minutes to acquit Jesse McCartney in the case. They announced their verdict Friday night.
As part of this week’s proceedings, Judge Brant Parry ordered Joey McCartney released on his own recognizance. He’ll be allowed to stay at his Kentucky home until reporting for his next court date, a pretrial conference scheduled for Nov. 14.
Charges against him include murder, burglary resulting in bodily injury and conspiracy to commit burglary, according to online court records.
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