A preliminary hearing held at the Jessamine County District Court revealed that marijuana may have played a role in the recent shooting that killed a 15-year-old on Thursday, Jan. 12.

Detective Autumn Howard, who worked the case where 18-year-old Tyler Jeffers shot and killed East Jessamine High student Leo Travers, testified at the hearing that occurred on Monday, Jan. 23.

A phone that was found next to Travers’ body tied Jeffers to the scene. The phone — which later turned out to be Jeffers’ — contained information about the two meeting and following through a transaction involving marijuana.

Howard said Jeffers told her he was already nervous about the transaction because he did not know Travers. Travers reached for his pockets, and that was when Jeffers pulled out the gun he kept tucked in the waist of his pants and fired an unknown number of rounds. Travers sustained two gunshot wounds, and some of the gunfire shattered the back windshield of the car that dropped Travers and another juvenile off.

It was later revealed by Howard that a search warrant did not locate any drugs. Jeffers, who was charged with murder, first-degree wanton endangerment, tampering with physical evidence and receiving stolen property in the form of a firearm, has pled not guilty. Jeffers’ cash bond is still pending approval.

His case will now go to the Grand Jury for possible indictment. 

Jeffers’ grandfather Albert McKinney — who was charged with tampering with physical evidence after he attempted to hide the gun used to shoot Travers — will appear for his arraignment on Feb. 2.