When young Vernon Bryant was shot and killed after a church service in Powell County, it set off one of the most dramatic criminal trials ever witnessed in these parts. Boyd Spencer, kin to the Rogers family by marriage, stood trial twice in Clark County—first ending in a hung jury, then in a conviction for voluntary manslaughter. His story wove through courtrooms, prison cells, and finally back home, where illness ended his days.
This story is told in full, with court records, clippings, and obituary, in our very first “Voices from the Past” feature.