SPRINGFIELD, Tenn. (WTVF) — James Conn, the man accused of killing a Robertson County deputy, appeared in court on Thursday for the first time since he was charged with murder. The case was bound over to a grand jury.
Conn, 27, was arrested on January 24 after an hours-long standoff in Smyrna. He's accused of shooting Deputy Savanna Puckett, his ex-girlfriend, and setting a fire at her home.
The court heard from several law enforcement officers involved in the investigation before the case was sent over to a grand jury.
Watch the hearing in the video player below:
On the evening of January 23, Puckett was found dead inside her burning home.
Court documents say she was pulled from her home with gunshot wounds to her head and torso. Inside her home, investigators found a .40 caliber cartridge casing and two empty lighter fluid bottles.
Heather Hammond, a certified latent print examiner for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations took the stand. She said fingerprints on a bottle of lighter fluid that was found in the home were a match for Conn.
Days after her death, 911 calls made by Puckettwere released, revealing Conn was asked to stay away from her after he repeatedly showed up to her home uninvited.
Among those called to the stand was Robertson County Sgt. Megan Ketchum, who Puckett called for help after Conn allegedly showed up at her house days before she was killed.
"She seemed more scared, and her voice was shaking, and she asked where I was, and if I could help her," Ketchum said.
The court also heard from Matthew Vogle with the Springfield Fire Department who responded to the fire at Puckett's home. Vogle said ammunition was going off while fighting the fire, and he fell through the floor twice before finding Puckett.
"I noticed at that time that she had a blanket over top of her, as I got up to see if she had a pulse, I noticed she had blood on her face," Vogle said.
They busted out a window to get her to medics, but it was too late.
According to a prosecutor, the death penalty is not off the table. They're waiting on some evidence. A gun that Sgt. Ketchum let Deputy Puckett borrow is still missing from the crime scene.
Conn is facing charges of first-degree murder and aggravated arson. He has been denied bond.
