The suspect charged with the June 2019 shooting death of Owensboro resident Nick Decker pleaded guilty to murder and robbery last week in Daviess County Circuit Court.
Cortemius M. Peoples, 43 of Bowling Green, had previously submitted a plea of not guilty to multiple charges following the homicide of 25-year-old Decker, who was found dead in his home with a gunshot wound to the chest by the Owensboro Police Department on June 9, 2019.
Peoples currently faces charges of murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.
At the time of the incident, detectives were able to retrieve security footage from the scene that showed two men breaking into the home. Detectives with OPD also revealed at the time that a fingerprint matching Peoples’ had been left behind at the scene. Peoples faced his first preliminary hearing on June 27, 2019.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Mike Van Meter on Monday said two persistent felony offender charges against Peoples will be removed from his record since he pleaded guilty to the murder charge. Van Meter said those charges will be eradicated once Peoples is sentenced.
Peoples’ plea offer contains a 25-year prison sentence. Because Peoples is a violent offender, he will not be eligible for parole for at least 20 years or 85 percent of his sentence.
Decker’s family was supportive of the plea bargain and Peoples’ subsequent prison time, Van Meter said. Peoples cannot appeal his guilty plea, nor his prison sentence.
“We wouldn’t have done it without their support and consent,” he said. “It provides some finality for the family.”
Though the Commonwealth’s Attorney knows there was another individual present in the surveillance video footage obtained, that individual has not been identified.
Peoples is being held at the Daviess County Detention Center without bond.
A sentencing date for Peoples’ guilty plea is set for June 16.
