One Sentence Synopsis
Guilty until proven innocent. The true story of Christian “Kit” Martin, the former army major and airline pilot convicted of a triple homicide.
The true story of the former army major and airline pilot charged in a triple homicide and the web of lies that led to his problematic conviction.
The Court TV murder trial that left thousands of viewers convinced that the state of Kentucky convicted an innocent man.
250-Word Synopsis
It was a murder trial that left thousands of Court TV viewers convinced that the State of Kentucky convicted an innocent man. Christian “Kit” Martin, a former army major and regional airline pilot, received a life sentence for the murders of three of his neighbors.
Why were so many observers convinced of his innocence? The evidence against Kit Martin consisted primarily of a dog tag with the defendant’s name on it and a shell casing that was identified as having been fired from the defendant’s Glock 45. Both pieces of evidence were supplied to the police by family members of two of the victims months after the crimes.
The defense suggested that both pieces of evidence had been planted to frame the defendant. The dog tag, for example, was not an official military dog tag. It was discovered on a bookshelf next to the victim’s phone and wallet. Additionally, it was on a string rather than a chain.
The defendant’s gun had fired the shell casing found and turned in to the police, but the metal combination of casing and firing pin did not match the metal combination of the specialized bullets that were used to kill one of the victims. Furthermore, ballistics tests comparing the bullets recovered from the body of one defendant did not match test bullets fired from the defendant’s Glock 45.
Lastly, Kit Martin had alibi witnesses and security camera footage that proved that he could not have committed any of the murders.
500-Word Synopsis
On September 5, 2012, Christian “Kit” Martin’s unbelievable odyssey began. Kit was an Army Major stationed at Ft. Cambell, Kentucky. He served three tours in Iraq as a helicopter pilot, flying the Apache attack helicopter. On this day, Kit told his wife, Joan, that he wanted a divorce. She responded by issuing a threat.
“If you divorce me, I will ruin your career,” she said angrily. “I will ruin your life, and I know how to do it.”
Over the ensuing weeks, months, and years, Kit faced an onslaught of accusations from Joan: domestic abuse, child abuse, child molestation, and sexual assault. There was even an accusation of international spying. When Kit was cleared first by civilian investigators and then by military investigators, Joan made new allegations. She was aided, in part, by a married neighbor, Calvin Phillips, with whom Joan is rumored to have been having an affair.
Joan’s accusations eventually led to a court-martial, which was set for December 1, 2015. The prosecutor’s star witness was not Joan but neighbor Calvin Phillips. By this time, JAG prosecutors had determined that Joan had credibility issues.
That’s how things stood in early November 2015. Calvin, however, would not testify at the court-martial. Calvin, his wife Pam, and neighbor Ed Dansereau were killed on November 18, 2015, in a triple homicide. Kit was the prime suspect.
Despite the investigators’ singular focus on Kit, no evidence implicated him. The murder investigation dragged on. In May 2016, Kit’s court-martial trial began. Prosecutors dropped the sexual assault charges minutes before the start of the trial. After five days, Kit was found guilty of two misdemeanor charges: mishandling of classified materials and assault of a child under sixteen. Kit was dismissed from the military and sentenced to ninety days of confinement.
By this time, Kit had met Laura Spencer. They were engaged but not married. Kit and Laura moved to Raliegh, North Carolina. Kit earned his fixed-wing licenses and got a job as a pilot with PSA Airlines, a regional carrier affiliated with American Airlines.
On May 11, 2019, Kit was on day two of a four-day trip. He had a layover in Louisville, Kentucky. That morning, he arrived at the airport early. He was looking up at the flight departures board when he noticed a commotion from the corner of his eye. Several police officers with guns drawn were headed in his direction. Kit looked behind him to see who they were going after. It wasn’t long before he realized that they were after him. Kit’s arrest for murder made national news. His mugshot in his airline uniform appeared in newscasts and newspapers worldwide.
In June of 2021, Christian “Kit” Martin was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. But did the state of Kentucky convict an innocent man? There is evidence linking Joan to the crime. Joan and her son Elijah, also implicated as an alternative perpetrator, pleaded the fifth before the trial began and never took the stand.
