LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- Ten days passed before anyone in law enforcement or the court system realized a man accused of a Louisville murder had been incorrectly released from jail.
Terrance Moore, Jr. was scheduled to appear in court alongside his brother, Kentrey, on October 10 for a pre-trial hearing in the murder case. The brothers are accused of killing Tyrone Booker on Easter Sunday.
Kentrey Moore was present for the hearing in Jefferson County Circuit Judge Audra Eckerle's courtroom, but his brother could not be found.
"Apparently, Pike County has released Mr. Terrance Moore inappropriately," Eckerle said in open court before issuing a bench warrant.
Moore's attorney, Keith Kamenish, told the judge he had yet to meet his client face to face. Kamenish said he was asked to represent Moore by the public defender who represents Moore's brother. Kamenish said when he tried to visit his at Metro Corrections in downtown Louisville, he was told Moore had been transferred to Taylor County because of overcrowding.
"I don't know the answer," Metro Corrections Assistant Director Steve Durham said in an email responding to a question of overcrowding. However, Durham said Moore's transfer to Taylor County on August 11 was directed by the Kentucky Department of Corrections.
On September 19, Moore was transferred from Taylor County to the Pike County facility, according to Lt. Jason Fields. Reached by phone Friday, Fields said there was no paperwork or documentation accompanying Moore indicating there was a hold on a pending murder charge from Jefferson County.
Records obtained by the WHAS 11 News i-Team suggests jail officials in Taylor County should have known Moore had a murder charge. At least four court orders were signed by Eckerle to have Moore transported from Taylor County to Jefferson County for previous hearings in the murder case.
"There's a lot of theories on what happened, but the most likely one is that there was a breakdown in the paperwork somewhere and that language regarding the hold from Jefferson County wasn't present on the paperwork or someone didn't see it," Kamenish said.
Taylor County Jail officials did not respond to calls seeking comment.
Lt. Fields said on September 30, the Pike County Detention Center received paperwork from the Department of Corrections indicating Moore was approved for release.
A Kentucky Department of Corrections Spokesperson also did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment on the matter.
"Due to a procedural error that is being corrected by Department of Corrections offender information staff, the DOC did not recognize that a detainer was needed," a statement from the agency to WHAS11 News media partner The Courier-Journal read, "There are checks and balances at the local level that should have prevented Moore's release."