A 21-year-old Florida man accused of gunning down an 18-year-old woman inside an Atwater Township home has pleaded not guilty to murder and aggravated-murder charges. Travis C. Lovett appeared in court Friday, where a judge set his bond at $10 million and scheduled a pretrial hearing for Nov. 10.
Lovett is charged with three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of murder, all unclassified felonies, in connection with the Oct. 20 shooting death of Alice M. Tully, according to the Record-Courier. Tully, 18, reportedly was trying to protect a friend when she was killed, per the same report, though the circumstances behind that account have not been fully detailed.
Court proceedings on Friday confirmed Lovett entered a not-guilty plea to both the murder and aggravated-murder counts, according to Cleveland 19 News. The case has moved from the initial charges filed the day of the shooting to the broader slate of counts Lovett now faces.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Reports on the timing of the shooting differ slightly. One account says deputies responded to a report of shots fired at the home at about 9:20 a.m. on Oct. 20, according to a report from the Centre Daily Times, while another account places the shooting at around 9:30 a.m. that same morning, as reported by the Beacon Journal. Neither time has been confirmed as definitive.
A county prosecutor alleged that Lovett drove from Florida to Tully's home to confront a former female high school classmate, then later returned, forced his way inside and fatally shot Tully — allegations that, per the same account from Cleveland 19 News, have not been adjudicated in court. Lovett fled the scene afterward, and authorities say they tracked his vehicle using license-plate-reader technology before taking him into custody without incident on southbound Interstate 77 in Guernsey County, according to the Centre Daily Times report.
Lockdowns Lifted After Arrest
The search for Lovett prompted soft lockdowns at nearby schools in the hours after the shooting, a precaution that was lifted once he was arrested, according to a report from ioNTB. The response escalated from a regional search effort to Lovett's capture later the same day, the outlet reported.
With Lovett's not-guilty plea entered and bond set at $10 million, the case now heads toward a pretrial hearing scheduled for Nov. 10. No additional details about the final disposition of the charges have been made public.
