CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The man charged in the 2022 fentanyl homicide of a 19-year-old Montgomery County woman took a plea Monday and will serve eight years on probation for the fentanyl sale charge, while his co-defendant remains set for trial this summer.
The victim, Amber Locke of Palmyra, was a 2020 graduate of Montgomery County Central High School, according to her obituary.
Koby Juwan Perry, 28, was scheduled to stand trial Monday when he pleaded guilty to sale of less than a half gram of a Schedule II drug, a Class C felony punishable by three to 15 years. He was sentenced as a Range II offender and agreed to serve eight years of probation. All other charges were dismissed.
During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Chris West told the court the decision was based on a “review of the current law” and “the knowledge that came the last few weeks.”
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Judge Robert Bateman approved the settlement agreement, which includes judicial diversion for the eight-year term. Judicial diversion allows a defendant to avoid a conviction if they successfully complete probation.
“You violate the terms of supervision and a judgment of conviction will be entered,” Bateman said. “You would be eligible to serve up to the entire eight-year sentence.”
Perry was represented by attorney Kyle Parks.
Background of fentanyl homicide case
According to a August 2022 indictment returned by a Montgomery County grand jury, Perry and co-defendant Brittany Michelle Hodges, 26, were both charged with second-degree murder by distribution of fentanyl in the death of Locke.
Perry was also charged with selling and delivering fentanyl, according to the indictment. When he pleaded guilty to that charge Monday, all remaining counts were dismissed.
The indictment alleges that on or about March 3, 2022, Hodges “unlawfully and recklessly” killed Locke by distributing the fentanyl that caused her death. A separate count alleges the fentanyl was distributed in combination with 4-anilino-N-phenethylpiperidine (4-ANPP), a chemical precursor to fentanyl.
Court records show Hodges’ case was severed from Perry’s during a January 2025 hearing. Her trial is set for July 20 before Judge Bateman at the Montgomery County Courts Center.
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