Legal Updates
Carmen Trotta and Martha Hennessy, two of the Kings Bay Plowshares disarmament activists, self-reported to federal prisons December 14 to begin their sentences. Carmen was driven by a group of community members and friends from St. Joseph House Catholic Worker in NYC to the prison in Otisville, NY, about a two hour drive. Before leaving…
Read MoreCarmen Trotta has been ordered to report to the Otisville federal prison camp near Middletown in NYS to begin serving his 14 month sentence on December 14. He has already served 7 weeks pre-trial so should be getting out in less than a year with good time. He may receive an earlier release because of…
Read MoreAmidst national spikes of more than 81,000 COVID-19 cases and 1,016 US deaths on Oct. 28th, the remaining four Kings Bay Plowshares 7 defendants have decided to request further postponement of their sentencing scheduled for November 12 and 13 in Brunswick, GA. Nationwide there has been a 41 percent increase in COVID-19 cases in the…
Read MoreFr. Steve Kelly was sentenced in Brunswick on Oct. 15 to 33 months incarceration, three years of supervised release and restitution ($33, 501 shared jointly with other defendants). He has served 30 months in pretrial confinement in Georgia jails so should have completed this sentence with the addition of accumulated good time. Steve still has…
Read MoreOctober 16, 2020 Patrick Challenges Judge, Judge Surprises Patrick BRUNSWICK, GA—In a decision likely unexpected by both the defendants and prosecutors, a federal judge today passed down a significantly lower prison sentence to one of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7. Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced Patrick O’Neill of Garner, NC, to 14 months in prison…
Read MoreFifteen supporters in a carefully Covid masked and distanced courtroom witnessed Father Steve Kelly receive a sentence of 33 months today. After a 20 minute delay to get the telephone conference line working and properly muted 160 people listened in to the proceedings on the audio link. Fr. Steve’s sentence falls at top of his…
Read MoreFr. Steve Kelly was sentenced on Oct. 15 to 33 months incarceration, three years of supervised release and restitution. He has served 30 months in pretrial confinement so should have completed this sentence with the addition of good time. Steve still has to answer for a probation violation from a previous arrest so may be…
Read MoreFather Steve Kelly and Patrick O’Neill are scheduled to be sentenced in Brunswick, GA on October 15 & 16 at one in the afternoon. It is hoped that the two will be combined on October 15 but that now appears unlikely. The remaining four defendants, Carmen Trotta, Martha Hennessy, Mark Colville, and Clare Grady, were…
Read MoreThe six remaining Kings Bay Plowshares defendants have had their sentencing dates moved from September to October 15 and 16. They had requested a continuance because they want to appear in open court in Georgia and the virus situation there is still too out of control to safely allow it. Steve Kelly has now…
Read MoreThe 6 remaining plowshares defendants have been given new dates for sentencing on Oct. 15 and 16 in Brunswick, GA. There is the good likelihood that sentencing will go forward on these dates after numerous delays. What isn’t clear is whether all the defendants will appear in person or if some will choose to appear…
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