Suspected Kentucky killer 'distraught' over nuclear war, mother said

Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The mother of a Kentucky man suspected in a state politician's deadly home invasion earlier this week publicly implored her son to turn himself in on Saturday, claiming that he has "not been of sound mind."

Police are still looking for 23-year-old Shannon Gilday, who allegedly forced his way into the home of former state Rep. Wesley Morgan and shot and killed his daughter, 32-year-old Jordan Morgan.

Gilday's mother, Katie Gilday, said in a statement to Cinncinati's FOX19 that her son had grown "distraught with the certainty a nuclear war is imminent."

"He spoke of building a bunker and the CIA following him," she said. "I plead to Shannon to turn himself in so that he can get the help he so desperately needs."

Gilday, an Army veteran, allegedly broke into the Morgan home around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 22 brandishing a rifle. He reportedly traded gunfire with Wesley Morgan and shot and killed Jordan Morgan in her bed. The former lawmaker suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Police issued a warrant for Gilday's arrest that lists murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree assault and two counts of attempted murder.

Wesley Morgan, a Republican, owns a liquor store and served a single term in the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. His $6.5 million, 200-acre estate located outside of Richmond includes a bunker on the property, according to a listing on the real estate website Zillow.

The 2,000-square-foot bunker is buried 26 feet underground and complete with propane tanks, three generators, geothermal heat, a pressurized water tank, and foam-insulated walls. The shelter alone is worth $3 million.

FOX19 reported Friday that Kentucky State Police confirmed the bunker could have been a potential motive.

Last year, Wesley Morgan told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he started building the bunker after Barack Obama's 2008 election, citing his fear of the country sliding into socialism.

"I just wanted someplace safe," Morgan told the publication. "I think there's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world right now. If we don't get our act together, we're gonna end up in a civil war."

His daughter had previously served as deputy press secretary for former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin. She also worked as a Northern Kentucky prosecutor in 2017 and 2018; records indicate that the office never handled a case involving the suspected killer, the Northern Kentucky Tribune reports.