$1 million bond set

 

Insanity will be the defense for an Ironton woman accused of murder.

Ashley D. Seagraves, 23, formerly of 214 1/2 Pearl St., was arraigned in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court Wednesday.

Seagraves, represented by attorney Warren Morford, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a murder charge as well as two counts of felonious assault in connection with an attack on a Lawrence County Jail matron.

Judge Charles Cooper set a $1 million cash bond and ordered Seagraves to be mentally evaluated by a firm in Cincinnati.

A pretrial hearing will be set when evaluations results are returned.

Seagraves is accused of going to the home of Delmar Jenkins, 53, of Elizabeth Township, at approximately 5 a.m. June 10 and shooting him while he slept.

During arraignment in Ironton Municipal Court, Lawrence County Sheriff’s Detective Aaron Bollinger testified that Seagraves had admitted to shooting Jenkins in his bedroom.

Bollinger testified that Seagraves told him she had spent the night at Jenkins’ home and thought Jenkins had had sexual relations with her while she was unconscious from the drugs. Bollinger said Seagraves told him she had considered killing herself and Jenkins.

She found a gun and shot Jenkins and then turned the gun on herself but found only one round in the gun, Bollinger said.

Jenkins was found still alive a few hours later by a family member and was taken to an area hospital; he was placed on life support but died the next day.

Two days after her municipal court arraignment, while Seagraves was incarcerated in the jail, she allegedly used an item she fashioned into a sharp weapon and attacked the jail matron. Seagraves also allegedly tried to choke that jail matron.

Seagraves in nearly eight months pregnant and faces 18 years to life in prison if convicted of Jenkins’ murder.