On Christmas day in 2014, a tragic discovery was made in Lebanon, Kentucky, when 46-year-old Susan D. Summers was found lifeless in the driveway of her Parkside Drive home. It was approximately 7:00 p.m. when authorities received a call about a female lying in her driveway with what was later determined to be a gunshot wound. Emergency services transported her to Spring View Hospital, but she was ultimately pronounced dead by the Marion County Coroner. The initial investigation into the female's death left police searching for answers, with an autopsy scheduled at the State Medical Examiner's office in Louisville to shed more light on the circumstances of her untimely passing.
For nearly four years, the case of Susan's death remained a painful mystery for her family and the community. Susan was a mother to two sons, William Davis Pittman III and Derrick Thomas Pittman, and a daughter, Brianna Pittman. The passage of time, however, did not diminish the efforts of law enforcement. In a significant development on June 4, 2018, an arrest was made in connection with her death, bringing a renewed sense of hope for justice. The individual taken into custody was none other than her husband, Howard K. Summers, who was 45 years old at the time of his arrest.
Howard K. Summers was indicted by a Marion County Grand Jury and faced a series of grave charges, including murder, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Following his arrest by a Kentucky State Police Trooper, he was lodged in the Marion County Detention Center on a $255,000 bond. In his subsequent court appearance on June 7, Howard Summers entered a plea of not guilty. A motion to reduce his bond was denied by the judge, who deemed him an 'extreme risk and danger to the community.'
