A Murray man charged with attempted murder in the Aug. 17 shooting of his estranged wife is facing three additional felony charges for his alleged conduct after he was detained.
Russell Cleaver, 45, appeared in Calloway District Court Wednesday, where he waived preliminary hearings in both felony cases, sending them to a Calloway County grand jury. Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens also revoked Cleaver’s conditional discharges in two earlier cases and ordered him to serve a total of 247 days in jail.
Cleaver was arraigned Tuesday on two counts of third-degree assault of a police officer and one count of first-degree criminal mischief, all Class D felonies punishable by one to five years in prison.
The charges stem from Cleaver’s alleged conduct at the Murray Police Department and later at the Calloway County Detention Center following his arrest in the Aug. 17 shooting at his Sunset Drive residence.
According to a complaint warrant filed by MPD Officer Jonathan Bowling, Cleaver was taken to an interrogation room at the police department while officers investigated the shooting. Bowling alleged Cleaver began beating on the walls and table and later used furniture in the room to reach a camera and rip it from the ceiling.
Cleaver was then moved to a second room without furniture. Bowling alleged Cleaver repeatedly asked to stand but was denied because officers considered him a potential threat. Cleaver then allegedly moved toward another officer in a manner Bowling described as resembling Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Bowling said he stepped between Cleaver and the officer and told Cleaver to stop. Cleaver allegedly looked at Bowling, pulled his foot back and kicked him in the shin.
Less than an hour later, Bowling and another officer transported Cleaver to the jail. As Bowling opened the rear door of the police vehicle to let Cleaver out, Cleaver allegedly kicked the door, causing it to strike Bowling in the leg and chest.
Cleaver then said, “that wasn’t for you,” according to the complaint, which Bowling interpreted to mean Cleaver had intended to strike the other officer with the door.
Damage to the interrogation room was estimated at approximately $1,100.
Hutchens set Cleaver’s bond at $10,000 cash during Tuesday’s arraignment and ordered that any money posted toward the bond be applied toward restitution.
“I have multiple cases this morning with you, Mr. Cleaver,” Hutchens said at Wednesday’s hearing.
Hutchens said he wanted to address the two cases set for preliminary hearings before turning to revocation hearings in two earlier cases.
Cleaver first waived the preliminary hearing in the attempted murder case, sending it to the grand jury.
The charge stems from the Aug. 17 shooting at Cleaver’s Sunset Drive residence that left his estranged wife hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the chest. Cleaver was arrested that evening and charged with attempted murder, a Class B felony.
Before Hutchens concluded the hearing in that case, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney James Burkeen told the court that Cleaver attempted that morning to initiate contact through the Calloway County Detention Center’s Chirp system with the daughter of the victim in the shooting case.
Burkeen said Cleaver sent a request to communicate with her, but the request was not accepted and the family did not want contact with him.
“Let me clarify the bond conditions and the orders of the court,” Hutchens told Cleaver. “You are to have no contact or communication of any kind with Brittany Cleaver or any member of her family, and that includes phone or direct or indirect contact. Do you understand, Mr. Cleaver?”
Cleaver said he understood.
“Now, let’s not have a problem with that, Russell, because I don’t want to start taking phone privileges away and things like that, but if that becomes a problem, I’ll do it in two seconds because I’ve done it before,” Hutchens said. “Don’t put me in that position.”
Hutchens then called the newly filed assault and criminal mischief case.
Cleaver’s attorney, Jacob Caddas, said he had not yet seen the filings and initially requested that the preliminary hearing be continued for a week so he could review them.
Caddas told the court he had a scheduling conflict the following Wednesday, while Hutchens said Tuesday’s docket was already full. Hutchens offered to recall the case later that morning and allow Caddas to review the court file in the meantime.
When the case was recalled, Cleaver waived that preliminary hearing as well, sending the second case to the grand jury.
If indicted, Cleaver is scheduled to be arraigned in Calloway Circuit Court Friday, Oct. 2, in both cases.
With both preliminary hearings resolved, Hutchens turned to revocation hearings in Cleaver’s 2026 aggravated DUI case and a 2025 misdemeanor harassment case, both of which included conditionally discharged jail time when Cleaver was sentenced July 14.
In the harassment case, Cleaver pleaded guilty to harassment with physical contact and received a 90-day jail sentence, all of which was conditionally discharged for two years. Conditions included that Cleaver commit no new criminal offenses and refrain from using alcohol.
In the DUI case, Cleaver pleaded guilty to aggravated second-offense DUI and received an 180-day sentence. The order prohibited him from committing another offense or using alcohol during the two-year period of conditional discharge and provided day-for-day credit for inpatient treatment.
Assistant County Attorney Casey Naber moved to revoke Cleaver’s conditional discharges following the Aug. 17 shooting. The motion alleged detectives who spoke with Cleaver during the investigation believed he had recently consumed alcohol and cited the attempted murder charge.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Hutchens asked Naber to state his grounds for revocation.
“Alcohol use, I also believe he was supposed to be in rehab on the days that this new offense occurred, and now we actually have a stipulation of probable cause for a new felony offense,” Naber said. “So, I think those would be good grounds to revoke time.”
Cleaver acknowledged violating the conditions of his conditional discharges.
Hutchens revoked the full 90-day sentence in the harassment case. In the DUI case, Cleaver was given 23 days of credit for time spent in inpatient treatment and ordered to serve the remaining 157 days.
The sentences will run consecutively, leaving Cleaver with a total of 247 days to serve on the two revoked sentences.
Cleaver also remains held without bond in a separate Calloway Circuit Court case involving charges of menacing, third-degree terroristic threatening and retaliating against a participant in the legal process.
Burkeen filed a motion to revoke Cleaver’s bond in that case, citing the Aug. 17 arrest citation as evidence that Cleaver had contact with Brittany Cleaver in violation of his bond conditions.
That motion will be heard during a previously scheduled review hearing on Monday, Sept. 21.
As of Thursday evening, a SupportNow campaign established by Monty McCuiston to help Brittany Cleaver’s family with medical bills and other expenses had raised $6,133.29 toward its $10,000 goal.
In an Aug. 21 update, McCuiston said the family had been advised to stop providing public updates because of the ongoing investigation and safety concerns. The campaign remains open for donations.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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