In the autumn evening of October 18, 2020, Charles “Charlie” Newton, a 58-year-old male, was enjoying time with his wife on their family farm on McKinney Road in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The couple was on an ATV, hoping to spot a deer in a power line clearing as dusk settled around 6:30 p.m. Their peaceful evening was tragically cut short in an instant.
From a vehicle parked along the edge of a field, another hunter, 63-year-old Julian Newton of Sharon Grove, was also scanning the
area for deer. According to his later statements to investigators, he believed Charles and his wife had already left the vicinity. Seeing movement he mistook for a deer, Julian fired his muzzleloader. The projectile struck Charles Newton in the head, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene by the Christian County coroner.
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife led the investigation into the fatal hunting accident. Their findings led to a Christian County Grand Jury indicting Julian Newton in December 2020. He was subsequently arrested by Hopkinsville police at a residence on Roney Drive and lodged in the Christian County Jail. The indictment included charges of second-degree manslaughter, first-degree wanton endangerment, taking wildlife from a vehicle, and illegal take of a deer.
In March 2021, the legal proceedings came to a resolution. Julian Newton entered into a plea agreement, pleading guilty to the amended charge of reckless homicide, as well as first-degree wanton endangerment, hunting from a vehicle, and illegal taking of a deer. His defense attorney characterized the event as a tragic accident. The judge accepted the guilty plea and sentenced him to five years of unsupervised probation.
