From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE — A Buncombe County bailiff and former detective was fired June 12 “after he quoted a Bible verse about the death penalty to a split jury during a first-degree murder trial in Asheville,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on June 18.

“Jury officers, or bailiffs, take an oath under North Carolina law to keep jurors in a private place and prevent them from being spoken to by anyone outside the trial, including the bailiff themselves,” the ACT noted.

“Christopher ‘Matt’ Plowucha, 46, was fired by Sheriff Quentin Miller the next day, the newspaper stated, adding that “the bailiff was previously demoted from detective and issued a Giglio order.”

On the final day of Cody Guyton’s two-week trial June 11 in Buncombe Superior Court, “Judge Gary Gavenus told the courtroom it had come to his attention that a bailiff... had made what the judge called ‘reckless, misguided and irresponsible’ comments to the jurors that morning, according to an official trial transcript,” the ACT stated.

“As the jury labored over whether to convict a man of first-degree murder, Gavenus was also informed that Plowucha ‘has been spreading around this courthouse’ how divided the jury was in the case after he and another bailiff saw the split written in the deliberation room, the transcript said. Gavenus called Plowucha into the courtroom June 11, accompanied by a supervisor, the transcript details. The bailiff confirmed he had given the jury advice to ‘just breathe,’ take breaks and don’t overthink. When the judge asked whether he referenced the Bible, Plowucha said he mentioned Genesis 9:6 to the jury without quoting it.”

(In part, the bible verse states: “Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed.”)

The ACT added, “Plowucha also claimed he never told anybody what the split was. He then admitted to discussing it with another court officer “because we saw it and couldn’t believe it,” according to the transcript.”

“Get him out of here,” Gavenus said after questioning Plowucha, the newspaper noted, adding, “The judge told the bailiff’s supervisor that he would let the district attorney decide whether to criminally charge Plowucha.” 

District Attorney Todd Williams did not reply to its June 18 request for comment, the ACT said.