KATHY M. COYEnters plea

Kathy Michelle Coy, accused of murder in the slaying of Jamie Stice, was arraigned Friday morning in Warren Circuit Court.

Making her first appearance before Warren Circuit Judge John Grise, Coy, 33, of Morgantown, pleaded not guilty to murder, two counts of kidnapping, tampering with physical evidence and resisting arrest.

Coy, who is hearing-impaired but can read lips, was brought from behind the podium where defendants commonly stand during court hearings to Grise’s bench so that she could better understand the proceedings.

She did not speak except to answer “yes” or “no” to the judge’s questions.

Stice, 21, of Bowling Green, was found April 14 in a wooded area off U.S. 68-Ky. 80 with her throat cut and her wrists bound and slit, according to prior testimony. Stice had also been disemboweled.

Stice was due to give birth May 24 at the time of her death. Her son, Isaiah Allen Stice Reynolds, was cut from her body.

Coy allegedly showed up at The Medical Center on April 13 with Stice’s baby, claiming initially that the child was hers.

Hospital personnel called the Kentucky State Police about a “suspicious birth,” and Coy allegedly told investigators that she had purchased the baby.

The ensuing investigation led to the discovery of Stice’s body.

Though born prematurely, Isaiah survived the attack and is healthy now, according to Jeannie Stice, Jamie’s mother.

“The baby’s doing real good, he’s a true miracle,” Jeannie Stice said Friday after the hearing, which was attended by several of Jamie Stice’s relatives.

According to previous testimony and court records, Coy befriended Jamie Stice on the social networking website Facebook weeks before Stice’s death. Coy allegedly told Stice that she was also pregnant.

Court records indicate that Coy told KSP detectives she had actually suffered a miscarriage but had withheld that information from her family while pretending to remain pregnant.

Coy allegedly claimed to work for an organization that could help Stice obtain assistance with baby clothes and money. Coy gave a ride to Jamie on April 13 under the pretense of taking a trip to get some baby clothes, according to prior testimony, but ended up using a stun gun on Jamie and driving her to a wooded area where the slaying took place.

“We’re just holding up day to day,” Jeannie Stice said Friday afternoon. “I think we’re all getting through because of so much prayer. … We’re really going to need (prayers) through all this.”

Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron said at the hearing that there are “several volumes” of discovery evidence thus far and the process of gathering evidence is ongoing.

Coy is represented by a defense team of court-appointed attorneys Jim Gibson, Renae Tuck and Diana Werkman.

Grise scheduled a pretrial conference for Sept. 19, saying during the hearing that he anticipated setting a trial date at that time and “working backward” from there with regard to learning the amount of time the attorneys needed to investigate, review evidence and determine the length of a potential trial.