Judge sets $1 million bond for man charged with 19-year-old Kentucky State student’s murder
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) — The man charged with the murder of a 19-year-old Kentucky State University student will be held in Frankfort on a $1 million full cash bond.
In court Thursday morning, attorney Mark Hall was in court for Jacob Lee Bard, who appeared virtually. A not guilty plea was entered for Bard, who was at the school’s campus in Frankfort on Tuesday and fired shots at the victims at a residence hall, police said in a statement.
Investigators said the shooting was isolated but they haven’t publicly shared details of the circumstances or a possible motive. In court Thursday, Bard’s attorney said he has two kids who are students at KSU and there’s “more to the story.”
The shooting killed 19-year-old De’Jon Fox, of Indianapolis. He was pronounced dead at 4:33 p.m. at Frankfort Regional Medical Center. A second student who was shot remains in critical condition, but his name has not been released, police said.
Bard, 48, from Evansville, Indiana, was booked into jail on murder and first-degree assault charges. The commonwealth asked for a $500,00 bond, but the judge set it at $1 million. Bard will appear in court for a preliminary hearing Dec. 16.
Videos have circulated online showing a chaotic fight outside the residence hall. Asked by reporters about the videos and whether Bard might have come to campus to talk to administrators about his sons’ safety, Frankfort Assistant Police Chief Scott Tracy refused to say what may have led to the shooting.
“It’s really too early in the investigation right now to really give any details that led up to it. A lot of it would be speculation,” Tracy said Wednesday.
University President Koffi C. Akakpo said the school brought in more police officers after the first shooting on campus that happened in August. The school will evaluate whether more needs to be done to keep students safe once the investigation into the latest shooting is complete,
“The campus is a safe place,” Akakpo said at the news conference.
KSU’s campus remains on lockdown until further notice.
Second shooting in 2025
Tuesday’s shooting was the second in four months in the same area of the university.
Someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle near the same residence hall Aug. 17, hitting two people walking on campus the university said weren’t students. Frankfort police said one victim was treated for minor injuries and a second sustained serious injuries. The dorm and at least one vehicle were damaged by gunfire.
“Nothing was ever done, and it took one of our students to pass away for them to be like ‘Oh, we have to do something now,” McCullough said.
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Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.
