BY ANNIE HOLLER
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — A Mingo County jury on Monday convicted Timothy David Kennedy of first-degree murder in the June 2023 killing of West Virginia State Police Sgt. Cory Maynard near Matewan. The jury rejected a recommendation of mercy, ensuring Kennedy will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In addition to the first-degree murder charge, Kennedy was convicted of attempted murder of a civilian and another trooper, first-degree robbery and disarming a law enforcement officer.
The verdict followed a five-day trial in Mingo County Circuit Court stemming from the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old Maynard after the trooper responded to a reported shooting on Beech Creek near Matewan. Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding Kennedy, 32, of Matewan, guilty on all charges, then returned less than 30 minutes later with a recommendation denying mercy.
Prosecutors said Kennedy shot Maynard three times with a long gun, beat him and stripped him of his service revolver before fleeing the scene. Authorities later captured him while he was driving a stolen vehicle. Investigators recovered Maynard’s police-issued revolver from the seat beside him.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from Ben Baldwin, who prosecutors said Kennedy shot and seriously wounded before Maynard arrived at the scene. West Virginia State Police Trooper C.K. Johnson also testified that he narrowly escaped becoming another victim after arriving as the second officer on the scene.
The courtroom was filled Monday afternoon with state troopers and law enforcement officers as the verdict was read. Maynard’s wife, mother and siblings sat in the front row throughout the proceedings.
Before jurors considered whether to grant mercy, several members of Maynard’s family delivered emotional victim impact statements.
“He was the light of my life,” Maynard’s mother, Leslie Maynard, told the court. “He was happy, just a typical little boy who loved to play cops and robbers … he was, of course, always the good guy.”
Rachel Maynard, the trooper’s widow, described the toll her husband’s death has taken on their family, particularly their daughter.
“She’s had to miss a lot of school because of grief and depression and doesn’t like to be home where there are so many memories and reminders of her dad,” Rachel Maynard testified.
Assistant Prosecutor Joshua Ferrell urged jurors not to grant mercy during closing arguments.
“Did he show Cory Maynard mercy when he was praying to God to let him live?” Ferrell asked the jury.
Following the verdict, the West Virginia State Troopers Association released a statement calling the outcome justice for Maynard, whom the organization described as “a husband, father, brother, friend, and dedicated West Virginia State Trooper who gave his life in service to the people of this state.”
Kennedy is scheduled to be sentenced on July 7.