A Shelby County man accused of killing an 11-year-old girl will go before a grand jury.
Ryan Gerald Russell, 35, of Inverness, is charged with capital murder in the death of Katherine Gillespie.
At a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Circuit Judge Dan Reeves ruled prosecutors had sufficient evidence to bring the case before a grand jury.
Detective Shelby O’Connor, with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, testified that the child was show in the head with a .40 caliber Glock handgun. He also said an autopsy revealed Katherine Gillespie had been sexually abused.
The fifth grader was found shot to death inside their home in Inverness on June 16. Russell was the child's cousin and her legal guardian. He was also found in the home, lying unconscious in a locked bathroom.
Ryan Russell is being held without bond in the Shelby County Jail.
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