Murder suspect gets pre-trial date

The Monroe County man accused of murdering two men is scheduled to have another pretrial hearing in mid-January.\nJerry E. Pelfree, 51, was arrested Sept. 14 after authorities stormed his residence and found the remains of two men in 55- and 35-gallon steel drums. Authorities later identified the remains as Everett L. Shaw and Douglas A. Brown.\nAccording to the Monroe County Circuit Court, Judge Marc Kellems entered Pelfree into a preliminary plea of not guilty in mid-September. Pelfree had his first pretrial hearing in mid-November but another was scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 17.\nLocal attorney Ron Chapman will be representing Pelfree. \nAfter the Brown County Sheriff’s Department received a tip from Monroe County Jail inmate Troy D. Harden, authorities searched Pelfree’s home in the 6000 block of West Ison Road and arrested him on murder charges. Police believe the events surrounding their deaths stemmed from a dispute regarding a stolen all-terrain vehicle. Harden was present at the time of the murders, according to the probable cause affidavit.\nAfter the investigation, authorities concluded that Pelfree shot both men with a .22 caliber rifle and then used a sledge hammer to break the bodies so they would fit into the steel drums, according to the affidavit.\nShaw and Harden were reported missing earlier in the year. \nMonroe County Sheriff Jim Kennedy said he didn’t know if anybody else would be charged in connection to this case. He said if anyone else was charged, it would not happen until after the trial begins.\nPelfree is being held without bond at the Monroe County Jail.