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 is accused of throwing their neighbor over a second-story balcony, ultimately killing him, in a "despicable" crime.
Shawn Durbin, 39, and Nancy Durbin, 36, are both charged with murder, Hardin County jail records reviewed by Law&Crime show. The former has also been charged with resisting arrest and third-degree assault on a police officer.
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On Nov. 13, the Durbins were at their home at Sugar Mill Apartments in Elizabethtown. A neighbor, 62-year-old Bobby Pennington, was also present at their apartment, though it is unclear for what purpose.
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.
Officers were subsequently called about a man in cardiac arrest, and they arrived at the apartment complex on the 100 block of East Memorial Drive to find a woman giving Pennington CPR. The woman reportedly said she saw the suspects toss him from the balcony.
Pennington was rushed to nearby Baptist Health hospital, where X-rays showed he had a broken neck and ribs, per WLKY. The couple were arrested at the scene and originally charged with assault, but those charges were upgraded when Pennington later died.
"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.