PADUCAH – The Murray man accused of throwing a Molotov cocktail toward a crowd of Murray State University students assembled outside Sorority Row in September 2022 pleaded guilty last month to federal charges stemming from the incident.
Jack Epperson was indicted in United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in August 2023 on one count of possession of an unregistered firearm, which, by definition, includes “improvised incendiary bomb(s) or similar device(s).”
On July 15, Epperson signed a plea agreement, acknowledging that, on or around Sept. 10, 2022, he knowingly possessed an unregistered firearm, namely the Molotov cocktail. The document not only reveals new details about the case but also sheds light on the motivation behind the attack by noting Epperson was “upset” over “being denied the opportunity to speak to a former girlfriend.”
In signing the agreement, Epperson admitted to putting gasoline into a Starbucks bottle, inserting a wick and throwing it “towards a group of students gathered outside a university owned building.” The improvised explosive fell short of the crowd and burned out in the grass. Multiple witnesses observed Epperson commit various parts of the crime, according to the agreement.
As reported in the Murray Ledger & Times by this writer, Epperson’s car was parked in front of an apartment complex across the street from Sorority Row. Richard Parkhurst, a resident in the complex, told the Ledger that he saw Epperson pacing back and forth while staring at the young women congregating outside before a fraternity event.
Per Parkhurst’s account, Epperson retrieved something from the trunk of his car before going to sit in the passenger’s seat. He remained in the car for a few minutes before stepping out of his vehicle and igniting something in his hand, which caused a flash fire that temporarily engulfed his vehicle. Parkhurst said that the bottle appeared to slip in Epperson’s hands as he charged the crowd and threw the explosive.
The account is consistent with the plea agreement’s citation of evidence related to manufacturing the Molotov cocktail located in Epperson’s vehicle.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted an investigation and determined that the Molotov cocktail Epperson made was both an “improvised incendiary device” and a “destructive device,” which are illegal to possess unless they are registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, the agreement states.
The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine (which is due and payable on the date of sentencing) and up to three years of supervised release. Pursuant to the agreement, the United States will recommend the lowest end of the applicable penalty ranges but not less than mandatory minimums; however, at the sentencing hearing, the court is not bound to the prosecution’s recommendations, and “defendant will have no right to withdraw his guilty plea if the Court decides not to accept the sentencing recommendation set forth in [the] Agreement.”
Epperson’s sentencing is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 4, in Paducah, but he still faces charges of first-degree assault, second-degree wanton endangerment and possession of a destructive/booby trap device in Calloway Circuit Court.
His circuit court case has largely been delayed until the federal charges are adjudicated. During a status hearing in the case on Monday, Epperson’s attorney, Jason Holland of Hopkinsville, updated the court on the advancements in the federal case, and a pre-trial conference was set at 8:30 a.m., on Monday, Nov. 16.
While Epperson has pleaded guilty to the federal charges, he is still presumed innocent regarding state charges until proven guilty.
