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Background: The balcony of a residence on the 100 block of East Memorial Drive in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, from where the victim fell (WLKY/YouTube). Insets (from left to right): Shawn Durbin and Nancy Durbin (Hardin County Detention Center).
A Kentucky couple faces serious charges after allegedly causing the death of their neighbor by throwing him from a second-story balcony in what authorities describe as a “despicable” act.
Shawn Durbin, 39, and Nancy Durbin, 36, have both been charged with murder, according to records from the Hardin County jail reviewed by Law&Crime. Shawn Durbin faces additional charges, including resisting arrest and third-degree assault on a police officer.
The incident took place on November 13 at the Durbins’ residence in the Sugar Mill Apartments located in Elizabethtown. The victim, 62-year-old Bobby Pennington, was reportedly at their apartment, although the reasons for his visit remain unclear.
At some point, the Durbins and Pennington had an altercation, and the couple threw the older man off their second-floor balcony, which was some 12 feet high, onto the pavement below, the Elizabethtown Police Department told Louisville CBS affiliate WLKY. Video taken by the TV station shows a metal railing around the circumference of the outdoor area.
Police were alerted to a medical emergency involving a man in cardiac arrest and responded to the apartment complex on the 100 block of East Memorial Drive. Upon arrival, officers discovered a woman performing CPR on Pennington. She claimed to have witnessed the couple push him off the balcony.
Pennington was immediately transported to Baptist Health hospital, where medical examinations revealed he had sustained a broken neck and ribs, as reported by WLKY. Initially charged with assault, the charges against the Durbins were later upgraded to murder following Pennington’s death.
“It’s disgusting, it’s despicable. Again, all indications are that he did nothing to deserve this,” Elizabethtown Police Department spokesman Chris Denham said of the victim.
“There’s absolutely no ownership; it speaks volumes to the character of them,” Denham said of the suspects, noting that they denied any involvement with Pennington’s death. “Best reports we can come up with are that Mr. Pennington didn’t bother anyone and was thrown off of almost a 12-foot balcony and ended his life.”
The suspects are both locked up in the Hardin County Detention Center; they are expected to appear in court next month.