Christian Martin (Photo credit: Hardin County Detention Center)
FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced Thursday, September 2, 2021 that a Christian County man was sentenced for the murder of three Kentuckians. Christian Richard Martin, of Christian County, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
An investigation discovered that on November 18, 2015, Martin fatally shot three of his neighbors, Edward Dansereau and Calvin and Pamela Phillips. Calvin Phillips was found dead in his Pembroke home on November 19, and the remains of Dansereau and Pamela Phillips were discovered in a burned vehicle in a field.
Martin was indicted by a Christian County grand jury on May 10, 2019. He was arrested at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport the following day. Martin’s trial was initially scheduled to occur in Christian County, but the trial ultimately occurred in Hardin County.
After a two-week trial, a jury convicted Martin of all charges, including three counts of murder, one count of arson in the first degree, one count of attempted arson, two counts of burglary in the first degree, and three counts of tampering with physical evidence. The sentencing occurred Thursday, September 2, 2021 in Christian Circuit Court.
Barbara Whaley and Alexander Garcia prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth. The case was investigated by the Kentucky State Police, the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, and the Department of Criminal Investigations within the Office of the Attorney General. Aaron Ash, a victims’ advocate from the Attorney General’s Office, assisted the families of the crime victims during the case.
