In the quiet town of Pembroke, Kentucky, the autumn of 2015 was shattered by a brutal crime that claimed the lives of three residents. On November 19, 2015, the remains of 63-year-old Ed Dansereau, a male, and his neighbor, Pamela Phillips, were discovered inside a charred vehicle in a field on Rosetown Road. Both had suffered gunshot wounds before the car was set ablaze, leaving their bodies burned beyond recognition.
The grim discovery was tragically connected to another scene just a short distance away at the home of Calvin Phillips, Pamela's husband, who was found shot to death in his cellar.
The investigation into the triple homicide eventually pointed to a neighbor, Christian Richard 'Kit' Martin, a former Army Major and commercial airline pilot. A motive began to surface as it was revealed that Calvin Phillips was scheduled to testify against Martin in a military court-martial just two weeks after the murders. Authorities believe that Ed Dansereau was tragically killed because he may have been a witness to the events unfolding that day. Investigators found Dansereau's back door open with an unfinished meal and a beer bottle, suggesting he left in a hurry, possibly after hearing a disturbance at his neighbors' home.
After a lengthy investigation, Christian Martin was arrested on May 11, 2019, at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport while in his pilot's uniform. He was indicted on three counts of murder, as well as charges of arson, burglary, and tampering with physical evidence. In June 2021, a jury found Martin guilty on all charges, and he was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction brought a long-awaited sense of justice to the families of Ed Dansereau, Calvin Phillips, and Pamela Phillips, and to the shaken community of Pembroke.
