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Grand jury gets case of Hamilton man charged in fatal Franklin shooting

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Crime & Law
By Ed Richter
Updated June 28, 2023
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A Hamilton man accused of shooting and killing a Lebanon woman at a Franklin apartment complex waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday and will have his case considered by a Warren County grand jury, according to court records.

Elijah Malik Thomas, 26, is charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and felonious assault, a second-degree felony, according to Franklin Municipal Court records. He is accused of shooting and killing Katelyn Puckett, 23, of Lebanon.

ExploreHamilton man charged with murder in Lebanon woman’s death in Franklin

Thomas had entered a plea of not guilty and bail had been set at $1 million. He remains in custody at the Warren County Jail.

According to Franklin police, officers were dispatched about 12:40 a.m. June 18 to Boulder Drive at the Emerald Edge Apartments off East Second Street (Ohio 73), where they found a woman, later identified as Puckett, shot multiple times. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Elijah Thomas

Credit: Warren County Jail

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Credit: Warren County Jail

Lt. Brian Pacifico said Thomas allegedly fired multiple shots at Puckett before he fled on foot.

Thomas was arrested around 9:35 a.m. June 18 after a traffic stop in Franklin and was taken into custody without incident, Pacifico said.

Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to call detective Amanda Myers at the Franklin Division of Police at 937-746-2882.

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Ed Richter has been a working journalist for 38 years, with the last 34 years working in various capacities covering Butler and Warren counties as a reporter and an editor. Richter covers local news and governments in Warren County focusing on Springboro, Lebanon, Franklin, Carlisle and Waynesville.