USA (Parliament Politics Magazine) – A Franklin County grand jury declined to indict the man charged in the deadly Kentucky State University shooting, marking a key development in the case.
After the grand jury declined to deliver an indictment on Tuesday, Jacob Bard will not be charged with murder and assault.
When he reportedly shot and murdered 19-year-old De’Jon Darrell Fox Jr. and hurt another student, Bard claimed he was acting in self-defense.
Jonathan Danks, Bard’s lawyer, had stated that he was confident in his client’s case.
“If the grand jury does decide to indict our client he will have his day in court where we are able to present a full defense and we are confident that once a jury hears the defense they will acquit him on any and all charges,”
Danks said earlier Monday.
Bard’s lawyers contended that, in accordance with Kentucky law, a person may use lethal force to defend themselves or another person, which is what they claimed Bard did in this instance.
The self-defense allegation appears to have been plausible enough for the grand jury, which only hears testimony from the Commonwealth’s Attorney, to reject prosecution.
Earlier on Tuesday morning, Bard was freed from the Franklin County Regional Jail following the posting of bond by his family.
The court maintained Bard’s $1 million bond at last week’s preliminary hearing but permitted him to post 10%. This made it possible for his family to give $100,000 to guarantee that Bard appeared in court.
The case against Bard is essentially dropped as no indictment has been returned.
What evidence did the grand jury review in this case?
A Franklin County grand jury declined to charge Jacob Lee Bard in the Kentucky State University shooting case on December 23, 2025, without intimately telling the specific substantiation reviewed, as grand jury proceedings in Kentucky remain secret under state law.
Grand juries generally examine police reports, substantiation statements, videotape footage, forensic substantiation like ballistics, and the prosecutor’s summary; then, they probably assess Bard’s tone- defense claim, previous incidents at the dorm, and battle details near Whitney M. Young Jr. Hall.( conversation_history)
Kentucky bills (KRS 5.026) seal reiterations and substantiation unless a charge issues, precluding details on particulars like Fox’s injuries or Bard’s statements; the” No True Bill” implies inadequate probable cause after defense arguments.