At the Thursday trial the jury deliberated for about 45 minutes before delivering their verdict. The commonwealth then recommended a one year sentence with the next court date set for March 12 at 1:30 pm.
Christian County Commonwealth's Attorney Rick Boling told West Kentucky Star that he believes the outcome was appropriate.
"The recommendation of the sentence is appropriate based on the totality of the circumstances." Boling continued, "She was eligible for one to five years, but based on the fact that she has no criminal record, she ends up with a felony conviction and potentially a one year sentence the judge could have her serve."
Ray's defense attorney Thomas Clay shared his thoughts on the result of the trial.
"We were very disappointed, although in all of the trials I've had I respect the jury system, I respect their decision." Clay continued, "But it was devastating to Mrs. Ray to get the result we got today."
Ray's perjury charge related to her testimony in an October 2017 hearing for former deputy jailer Ben Green, who was charged with official misconduct for moving inmates without permission, which led to some inmates saying they were assaulted.
After her testimony, Kentucky State Police found evidence that contradicted Ray's assertions that Green did nothing wrong, so she was indicted by a McCracken County Grand Jury in December 2017.
Ray is also facing a charge of violating the Kentucky Whistleblower Act, related to the firing of employee David Knight, who reported a possible misuse of force at the jail in February 2018. Knight was re-instated by the Fiscal Court, and then won the race for jailer in November 2018.
Graves County Circuit Judge Tim Stark presided over the trial and Boling prosecuted the case, since McCracken County officials recused themselves.
