Hester Fire

Expert: Prosecutor faces disadvantages in cold case

Austin Ramsey News Editor Commonwealth Attorney Mark Blankenship may have a tough case ahead of him, according to an expert on cold cases at the University of Louisville. Blankenship is the main prosecuting attorney in the re-indictment of Jerry Wayne Walker, who faces charges related to the 1998 Hester College fire, which killed one student Read More

Paducah School’s superintendent: case becomes distraction

Elizabeth Johnson Editor-in-Chief  Stemming from his re-indictment involving the fatal 1998 Hester College Fire, Jerry Walker has been transferred from his position as assistant principal at Paducah Middle School to the school system’s central office. Randy Greene, superintendent of Paducah Public Schools, said the decision was made Tuesday. “It became a distraction,” Greene said. “The Read More

Grand jury re-indicts suspect

Elizabeth Johnson Editor-in-Chief Thirteen years to the day following the funeral of Michael Minger, Jerry Wayne Walker, arrived at Calloway County Circuit Court for an arraignment stemming from the Hester College fire on Sept. 18, 1998, in which Minger died due to smoke inhalation. “It’s a pretty bittersweet day,” Gail Minger, the victim’s mother, said Read More

Student’s death remembered

Elizabeth Johnson Editor-in-Chief Murray State faced an unprecedented tragedy 13 years ago when an arson fire resulted in the death of a student living in Hester College. Michael Minger, sophomore from Niceville, Fla., died from smoke inhalation on Sept. 18, 1998. Minger was double-majoring in music/vocal performance and broadcast journalism. Ches Clark was a student Read More

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