Hunter Leif Harris was born on September 26, 1996, and died by suicide on September 27, 2025, at the age of 29.
Hunter was kind, thoughtful, and endlessly empathetic. He cared deeply for people, especially those who struggled or felt unseen. He stood up for others and believed in fairness and love above all else.
After attending the University of Louisville, Hunter followed his passion for hospitality. He loved his work behind the bar, where conversation and laughter came easily to him. Traveling to music festivals around the country gave him joy and connection — he loved his co-workers, listening to music and meeting people.
Hunter loved his family and was especially protective of his sisters. Their group text was a constant source of humor, filled with his sharp wit and the small observations that made everyone laugh. He shared with his parents and brother a love of the Grateful Dead — the music, the tie dye, and the sense of community that came with it. Together, they traveled the country for shows and festivals, collecting memories that will not fade away.
In 2024, Hunter moved to Tampa, Florida, where he found a welcoming community and many new friends who quickly became like family.
He is survived by his mother, Hilary Harris; his father, Jason Harris; his brother, Luke Armstrong; and his sisters, Ella Harris and Abby Harris. He was preceded in death by his grandfather Nelson Shroat.
Hunter was a good and gentle person. He made life brighter for those around him, and he will be missed more than words can say.
In place of flowers, donations may be made to The Trevor Project, supporting suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth or To Write Love on her Arms, another organization for helping those who are struggling. These organizations and causes are important and helping people was so important to Hunter.
There will be a Celebration of Life held on March 28, 2026 details will be shared once they are finalized.
MURRAY – Judge Randall A. Hutchens has announced that he will not file for re-election to the office of Calloway District Judge. Judge Hutchens was elected to the bench on Nov. 7, 2006, to serve the 42nd Judicial District (Calloway County), and is currently serving his fifth term as District Judge. Judge Hutchens has served as District Judge longer than any other person in the history of Calloway County.
“During my time in office, I have done my best to bring integrity and fairness to our Court,” said Hutchens. “It has been a difficult decision to retire but Father Time is undefeated. I love my job and the opportunity it has given me to help people and our community daily.
Hutchens poses with former Calloway Circuit Court Clerk Linda Avery at her retirement reception in February 2024. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
“I would like to thank for their support the members of the Bar, Judges, local law enforcement, local officials and the County Judge-Executives that I have worked with over the years. I also owe a great debt of gratitude to the Circuit Clerks and Deputy Clerks that I have had the privilege of working with these many years. I also am very thankful for the unwavering support and assistance I have received from my secretary Nyle Edwards.
“Finally, I would like to thank the citizens of Calloway County that have supported me during my career. I have practiced law or served as a Judge since before the opening of this Judicial Building, and I now feel like I am part of it. I will seriously miss the opportunities I have been given over the years.”
Judge Hutchens is a former elected Calloway County Attorney and was in private law practice for 22 years before being elected to the bench. He has previously served as a Special Domestic Relations Commissioner and as a Master Commissioner for Calloway and Marshall Counties and was a former Assistant City Attorney for the City of Murray, Kentucky. He was also a former Adjunct Professor at Murray State University in business law, court management, and legal research.
Hutchens talks to infamous defendant “Cowboy Cody” and his attorney Mitch Ryan during a June court appearance. (Zoom screenshot/The Murray Sentinel)
Judge Hutchens was selected Murray State’s Outstanding Senior Man and was the Commencement Speaker upon his graduation from Murray State University in 1981. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1984. While attending Murray State, he won a National Championship in intercollegiate contemporary issues debate and won the Kentucky and OVC Championships in intercollegiate debate.
Hutchens grew up in Calloway County while attending Lynn Grove Elementary and Calloway County High School. He and his wife, Judy, have seven children and fourteen-and-a-half grandchildren between them.
FRANKFORT, Ky.– Today, Gov. Andy Beshear joined leaders from 24 other states and the District of Columbia in challenging the Trump administration over its unlawful decision to suspend the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families to supplement their grocery budget so they can afford the nutritious food essential to health and well-being, due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
“Our President should be focused on fighting hunger, not causing it – yet the unlawful suspension of SNAP benefits is going to case more than 40 million Americans and almost 600,000 Kentuckians – many of which are children – to go without food,” said Gov. Beshear. “My faith teaches me that food is lifegiving and meant to be shared. From the miracle of fishes and loaves to the Last Supper, we are called to feed and care for each other, and the Trump administration prohibiting SNAP benefits is wrong.”
On October 24, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent a letter to state SNAP agencies saying it was suspending all November 2025 benefit payments for the approximately 42 million individuals across the country that rely on them and that the suspension will continue until sufficient federal funding is provided.
Despite USDA’s claim of insufficient funds, the agency has access to billions of dollars in SNAP-specific contingency funds appropriated by Congress for this very purpose. Furthermore, USDA has funded other programs with emergency funds during this shutdown but has refused to fund SNAP.
In Kentucky, SNAP recipients can continue using current benefits as normal. For updates, Kentuckians can visit the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) website or their Self-Service Portal (SSP) account. Official DCBS notifications, text messages and emails will also be shared with news as available.
Joining Gov. Beshear in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin. The Governors of Kansas and Pennsylvania also joined.
MURRAY – After being arrested last week in unrelated cases, two Murray men made their first appearance before Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens Tuesday to be arraigned on felony charges related to the alleged sexual assault of minors.
Matthew Adams, 28, was arrested Oct. 18 and charged with two counts of first-degree rape, three counts of distributing obscene material to a minor and one count of first-degree indecent exposure, according to a Murray Police Department (MPD) press release.
Dustin Owen, 39, was arrested Oct. 19 on charges of third-degree rape and custodial interference after he allegedly admitted to having sexual intercourse with a 16-year-old, MPD said in a separate release.
Matthew Adams, left, and Dustin Owen (Photos provided)
Both men are being held at the Calloway County Detention Center on $25,000 and $20,000 bonds, respectively.
MPD Detective Sergeant Justin Swope filed the complaint warrant in Adams’ case. According to his affidavit, the Kentucky Department of Community Based Services (DCBS) contacted him in late September regarding the potential sexual assault of a juvenile under 12 after the victim’s cousin disclosed the alleged abuse at school.
The day prior, Adams attempted suicide and was admitted to Murray-Calloway County Hospital, the affidavit stated. Adams’ wife gave MPD an alleged suicide note that referenced the allegations.
According to Swope, Adams digitally penetrated the victim on at least two occasions, exposed the juvenile to explicit sexual acts by showing pornographic videos on three separate occasions and exposed his genitals multiple times by urinating within her line of sight.
Matthew Adams makes his court appearance virtually from the Calloway County Detention Center. (Zoom screenshot by The Murray Sentinel)
Swope noted that the alleged victim was able to recount the assaults in vivid detail. “There is no indication the [victim] was influenced or coached into this disclosure,” he wrote.
An arrest warrant was issued for Adams Oct. 2 and served Oct. 17, following his discharge from Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where, according to court records, he was treated for injuries sustained in “an accident.” It is unclear if those injuries were related to Adams’ suicide attempt in late September. In a press release, MPD thanked the Vanderbilt University Police Department and Calloway County Sheriff’s Office Court Security for their assistance.
In Calloway District Court Tuesday, Hutchens appointed a public defender to represent Adams and scheduled his preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 9 a.m.
According to the uniform citation in Owen’s case, which was also penned by Swope, MPD recently received notice from the Kentucky State Police that troopers located a missing juvenile from Calloway County. KSP also reported making contact with Owen, who told troopers he was dropping off his friend.
Dustin Owen also appeared virtually. (Zoom screenshot by The Murray Sentinel)
MPD was already familiar with Owen because of an incident earlier this year when the same juvenile was found at his home after being reported missing, Swope wrote. At the time, Owen reportedly admitted that the two had engaged in sexual contact but said the minor claimed to be 18 years old. Per Swope’s account, he informed Owen that the victim was actually under the age of 18 and instructed him to call law enforcement immediately if the juvenile attempted to contact him again in the future.
Regarding the most recent incident, Owen allegedly told Swope that the victim showed up at his home late the night before, very upset and looking for a place to stay. He agreed to let the minor spend the night despite receiving previous instructions to contact law enforcement. According to the uniform citation, Owen admitted to having sexual intercourse despite knowing the victim was underage and told Swope that “he was lonely and let hormones get the best of him.”
Murray attorney Chris Hendricks represents Owen. In Calloway District Court Tuesday, he waived formal arraignment and entered a not guilty plea on behalf of his client before asking the judge to consider lowering the bond amount.
Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens reads a document in Dustin Owens’ file during his arraignment hearing Tuesday while attorney Chris Hendricks is seen in the foreground. (Zoom screenshot by The Murray Sentinel)
“I think, based on the seriousness of the offense, I will not amend at this time,” Hutchens replied. “You can talk about it next time.”
Owen’s preliminary hearing is also scheduled at 9 a.m. on Oct. 29.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Intimidated by advance hate speech that seemed designed to stoke the fires of potential violence against non-violent people, I headed to the Janice Mason Art Museum in Trigg County on Saturday, instead of participating in a “No Kings” rally.
A museum seemed like a safe space to be.
So, at the same time thousands of west Kentucky folks were gathering in Paducah, Madisonville, Hopkinsville, Henderson, and Owensboro, I was turning off Route 68 onto Main Street in Cadiz. Blue lights shimmered in the distance, suggesting trouble ahead. The vehicle in front of me pulled off the road, and I did the same. Those behind followed suit.
With no sirens, no speed, headlights on, the oncoming procession proceeded at a solemn pace. Everyone paused, no longer in a hurry. This was no accident but an act of God, a funeral.
What mattered in those few minutes was to show respect, to act with dignity, to honor a meaningful tradition.
Once the caravan passed, I continued on to the museum to view an exhibition that pays tribute to a different tradition, one dating back to eighteenth century Holland.
The artwork on display, by noted Murray artist Jennifer Fairbanks-Hayes, exemplifies the tradition of “Impossible Bouquets” – large, still-life paintings featuring stunning arrangements of flowers that do not naturally blossom in the same season and location. The convention reflects an artistic tradition that goes back to the Dutch artist Rachel Ruysch (1664-1750), whose magical floral arrangements stretched the boundaries of nature and astonished viewers with their meticulous composition and fabulous color.
Clematis, Tulip and Rose, oil on canvas painting by Jennifer Fairbanks-Hayes. Currently on exhibit in Cadiz, Ky., at Janice Mason Art Museum.
Like Ruysch, Fairbanks-Hayes makes the impossible, possible in her bigger-than-life bouquets.
In all her creative work in the “Flora” exhibition, Fairbanks-Hayes is inspired by a love of nature, its beauty, harshness, and dynamic range. The plein air pieces invite immersion in the shifting light of the Kentucky landscape and the evanescent allure of sunsets. She invites the elements of the landscape indoors in her stunning still life paintings.
But those Impossible Bouquets? They steal the show.
During the reception on Saturday one viewer wondered, “How do you put it all together? Are these flowers all painted in season?”
According to Fairbanks-Hayes, the planning process starts in the middle and works out from there, depending on what flowers are available and when. Pointing to the largest bouquet, she explained, “I knew I wanted a red tulip at the top, so I grew one myself.”
To support her early “impossible” efforts, she even started her own garden and found another useful source in Gracey, Ky., with Free Range Flowers from Martin Farms.
Small, preliminary studies are another planning tool, as are photographic studies that enable her to refresh her imagination as she creates one flower, and then another, and another. The challenge is to capture the momentary beauty of each before the signs of passing time appear.
In bygone eras, the process was VERY slow. As technology continues to blossom, it is easier to grow rare flowers out of season. And with Artificial Intelligence, who knows what impossibilities might be achieved?
On my way back home to Murray, I welcomed hearing news that millions of participants successfully expressed their political opinions on Saturday with a range of emotions that demonstrated joy, exuberance, and commitment to freedom of speech and the U.S. Constitution. Peaceful demonstrations that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion are, after all, not impossible.
Take a lesson from fine art: Patience, planning, one flower at a time, can make what seems impossible, possible.
Jennifer Fairbanks-Hayes received her MA in Art Therapy from New York University and studied portrait and figurative painting at The Art Students League of New York and National Academy of Design. She was awarded two Hudson River Fellowships from the Grand Central Atelier and recently received the Gold Medal of Honor from the Catherine Lorillard Wolf Art Club. More information is on her website – Gallery 109.
The exhibition, “Flora,” is on view at the Janice Mason Museum until November 28. For further information log on to jmam.org.
MURRAY – Newly released records from the Murray Independent School District (MISD) shed light on the Murray High School band’s use of a company owned by Jason Shelby, a former MHS teacher whose past conduct is now the subject of a criminal case. In correspondence with district administrators, former Band Director Tim Zeiss said he hired the company for drill design and uniforms, calling the decision poor judgment rather than a policy violation.
Shelby, who resigned from the district in 2018 following allegations of sexual misconduct involving former students, was arrested in September after the Kentucky State Police (KSP) reopened their investigation.
The Sentinel submitted an open records request to MISD on Sept. 24, asking for correspondence between Zeiss, Superintendent David Meinschein and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Human Resources Whitney York related to Shelby or his company, Total Visual Design, from Sept. 8-24; Zeiss’ disciplinary records from Sept. 8-24; all contracts between district entities and TVD; and correspondence between Zeiss and former Superintendent Coy Samons related to Shelby or TVD from Aug. 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2018.*
In response, the district provided two letters from Zeiss to Meinschein – one written on Sept. 12, explaining TVD’s involvement with the Murray Tiger Band (MTB), and the other, his resignation letter submitted Sept. 24. MISD also produced a letter dated Sept. 15 from Meinschein to Zeiss, informing him that he was suspended with pay for up to 10 working days.
Former MHS Band Director Tim Zeiss speaks to band members after their return from winning the Class 1A Bands of America Grand National Championship last year. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
In his Sept. 12 letter, Zeiss explained that TVD is a sales representative for a marching band uniform company in Texas, and the band purchased products and services from TVD for this school year, using funds from the Murray Band Boosters. The company was able to provide uniforms as well as color guard silks at cost, with no markup. TVD also wrote the drill for this season’s show; drill refers to the sequenced movements and steps of performers on the field.
Zeiss also said Shelby had no direct contact with band students other than his own child, and that all communication with TVD occurred electronically through Zeiss, which he said is standard industry practice.
Since his arrival in 2010, Zeiss told Meinschein, he has “never seen nor witnessed anything first hand [sic],” presumably referring to numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against Shelby that ultimately lead to KSP’s criminal investigation and his subsequent resignation in 2018.
Zeiss said that MTB used other companies for drill services and to purchase products from 2018 to 2022 and started using TVD in 2023, noting that he thought “everything was cleared” because, at the time, nothing had come from KSP’s 2018 investigation.
“I understand the gravity and seriousness of the situation, and hindsight being 20/20, wish this had never happened,” Zeiss wrote in conclusion. “I care so deeply for the Murray community, Murray Independent, and the Murray Tiger Band. While looking back, this was poor judgement on my end by using Total Visual Design for services, however, nothing was done illegally.”
Dr. David Meinschein, flanked by school board members (from left) Gina Winchester, Robyn Pizzo, Richard Crouch and Shawn Smee, signs his contract after being named superintendent in March. (JESSICA PAINE/The Murray Sentinel)
MISD was not able to produce any correspondence between Zeiss and Samons related to Shelby or TVD in fall of 2018 nor was the district able to produce any contracts between district entities and TVD because “no such documentation exists.”
Despite not being able to provide contracts, the district did produce emails between Zeiss and a former booster treasurer regarding payments made to TVD in 2019, 2022 and 2023, which totaled $4,319.
The Sentinel reached out to Zeiss regarding the discrepancy in dates between his Sept. 12 letter to Meinschein and the emails MISD produced in response to our request. Although he would not consent to an interview, he did respond to our inquiry by email.
Zeiss provided screenshots of a text thread with Meinschein, which starts at 6:27 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, with the superintendent asking Zeiss if he had time for a phone call. When they spoke on the phone, by Zeiss’ account, Meinschein advised it had been brought to his attention that the band was using Shelby for services, “I directly told him that we were using his company, Total Visual Design LLC,” he wrote.
(Screenshots courtesy of Tim Zeiss)
Just before 10 a.m., Zeiss hand delivered the letter to Meinschein. “To be clear, I was not asked to do this and I just wanted to give him more context and volunteered this information,” he told The Sentinel, adding that he drafted the document, which he refers to as “personal notes,” after his first period class, before leaving to attend his duties at Murray Middle School. “This was NOT an official statement by any means and I was trying to go back years worth of memory in a very short time.”
Zeiss acknowledged the inaccuracies in the letter, further stressing his haste in drafting it and that he provided the information voluntarily. He confirmed that Shelby wrote the drill for the band in 2018 and 2019. A different drill writer was used in 2021 and 2022; however, some items were ordered through TVD in those years because they could be purchased at wholesale prices.
“We order products through many vendors aside from Total Visual Design, so that was an error on my part concerning the personal notes in 2021 and 2022,” he explained. “In 2023, we used Total Visual Design for most services. But again, when he [Shelby] could not get us products for the cheaper price, we would go somewhere else. … Ultimately, whoever was the cheapest vendor for the quality product we wanted would win the bid. I had a fiscal responsibility to make our dollar go as far as it could go to benefit the students.”
“And to make this abundantly clear,” Zeiss wrote, “drill writers or vendors such as this are not teachers, instructors, or volunteers with our students in any way shape or form. All conversations and interactions were digital transactions through myself and any vendor. Student safety was never compromised.”
Zeiss declined to make any additional comments at this time. The Sentinel has reached out to Meinschein multiple times with follow-up questions related to this matter but has not received a response from him to date.
*The timeframes for our open records request were minimized so as to avoid delays in the production of records. We submitted a second request to MISD on Oct. 7, requesting records across more substantial periods of time.
Editor’s note: This reporter is the parent of an MHS band member. To ensure accuracy and fairness, this article was reviewed prior to publication by an independent editor unaffiliated with The Sentinel.
NEW CONCORD – Weather permitting, a long-term lane restriction is scheduled to start on Thursday, Oct. 23 on KY 121 at mile point 5.25 in Calloway County, as a contractor for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) begins work on a bridge replacement project.
The bridge over Blood River, located half a mile west of KY 444/Dunbar Road at New Concord, will be replaced in two phases: eastbound and westbound.
Before demolition of the first half begins, crews will install temporary railing and barrier wall, along with a temporary traffic signal to control alternating one-lane traffic.
A lane restriction will remain in place for the duration of the project, which is expected to continue through mid-October 2026.
Motorists are urged to use caution in the work zone.
The Murray-Calloway County Hospital Board of Trustees will meet at noon in the hospital’s Garrison Board Room and via Microsoft Teams (call 270-762-1102 for connections details).
