Mayfield, Ky.–After a two-day jury trial, a Graves County man was found guilty of a brutal hammer attack against his former girlfriend and the jury recommended he be sentenced to 30 years in prison. He will be formally sentenced November 5.
The Graves County Jury found John M. Giles guilty of first degree assault and of being a persistent felony offender. If the jury’s recommendation is upheld, he must serve 20 years before being eligible for parole.
According to the press release from the Graves County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office, the background of the case is:
“Giles and his girlfriend began dating in early 2019. The relationship was volatile and toxic from its inception, consumed by substance abuse (primarily meth), claims of infidelity, and violence. This culminated in Giles brutally beating his girlfriend with a hammer on or about August 30, 2019. Giles was unable to find his wallet, accused his girlfriend of taking it, and an argument ensued (Giles later found the wallet he had misplaced). Ultimately, Giles struck her with the hammer in the forehead, knocking her to the ground. Laying in the gravel driveway outside Giles’ home, she curled up in the fetal position on her left side. Giles continued striking her repeatedly with the hammer, primarily in the head, but also up and down the right side of her body, while also kicking and stomping her. She screamed and pleaded for her life while Giles yelled, among other things, “You’re going to die tonight!” and “Keep screaming, no one can hear you out here!””
The press release continues, “Fortunately, Giles paused long enough for his girlfriend to, quite literally, run for her life. She ultimately knocked on the door of a stranger, Mr. Charles Cooley. Mr. Cooley did not know Giles or his girlfriend, but he bravely took in the terrified, battered, and bloody girl and he sought help for her. Tyler Banker, Advanced EMT, arrived on the scene, treated her wounds, and transported her to the emergency room. At the emergency room, she was treated by Dr. Joseph Payant, a physician with 27 years experience treating trauma patients in the emergency room. EMT Banker and Dr. Payant both testified that her injuries were consistent with being beaten with a hammer. Dr. Payant further testified that in all his years of treating abuse victims, he had never seen “that severe of an assault” from one person to another.
The prosecutors on the case were:
* Richie Kemp, Graves County Commonwealth’s Attorney, and
* John J. Beasley, II, Asst. Commonwealth’s Attorney and Head of the Drug Enforcement Unit.
As always, obtaining justice demands the collective effort of many. Those in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office also deserving of recognition are:
* Aimee Clymer-Hancock, First Asst. Commonwealth’s Attorney and Head of Graves County’s Vulnerable Victim’s Unit,
* ShelbyAnn Johnson, Asst. Commonwealth’s Attorney,
* Wade Heatherly, Detective,
* Lisa Adams, Victim’s Advocate,
* Denise Brazzell, Victim’s Advocates,
* Shania McKinney, District Secretary,
* Grace Hogarty, District Secretary, and
* Ali Wiley, District Secretary.
The Graves County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office also wishes to thank and acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the following:
* Jerry Gore, currently Officer, Mayfield Police Department officer, former Detective in the Graves County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office,
* Jeremy Prince, Chief Deputy, Graves County Sheriff’s Office,
* Ronnie Davis, Department of Probation and Parole,
* Joseph Sidell, Lieutenant, Graves County Jail,
* Brooke Amberg, former Detective, Graves County Sheriff’s Office,
* Brandon Awberry, former Deputy, Graves County Sheriff’s Office, and
* The courtroom security, provided by Graves County Sheriff’s Office, under the leadership of Sheriff Jon Hayden, is greatly appreciated. Thank you to David Nemish, Mike Riley, Dale Mason, and Holly Seaton.