FAYETTEVILLE – A man charged with murder is suing a TV station he claims falsely reported on his story.
Oscar Ross Combs Sr. claims WOAY-TV has broadcast on numerous occasions that he has been charged with the murder and dismemberment of James Butler, according to a complaint filed Feb. 2 in Fayette Circuit Court.
Combs claims while it is true that he was charged with Butler's death, his body was not dismembered or mutilated in any way.
WOAY continues to broadcast that Butler was dismembered as late as Jan. 15, and that station continues its "false reporting for the purpose of sensationalism and ratings," according to the suit.
Combs claims a degree of ethics demands that any form of media provider verify the facts of a story prior to delivery to the public and that stories as horrific as dismemberment fall into the same class of crimes as cannibalism and satanic human sacrifice.
Because of the media's coverage of Butler's murder, Combs holds WOAY responsible for his inability to obtain an impartial jury and his inability to obtain a just verdict in his trial, according to the suit.
Combs is seeking for the court to order WOAY to officially retract the statements it made about Butler's body being dismembered and compensatory damages. He is representing himself.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Paul M. Blake Jr.
Fayette Circuit Court case number: 15-C-33