Man faces first-degree murder charge in hit-and-run death

Former KU student Adam Lloyd Shepard will face first-degree murder charges in the hit-and-run death of former Lawrence resident Spencer Schott in Jacksonville Beach.

A former Kansas University student is awaiting trial on a first-degree murder charge in the hit-and-run death of 1993 Lawrence High School graduate Spencer Schott.

Adam Lloyd Shepard, 32, is accused of running his vehicle into and killing Schott, 35, in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., on Jan. 22, 2011. Following the incident, Shepard fled the state. Two weeks later, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Shepard near Chicago.

Police originally said Shepard would be charged with leaving the scene of a fatality accident but later added the first-degree murder charge.

It was unclear whether Shepard knew Schott before the incident.

A spokesperson for the Florida State Attorney’s Office said a trial date had not yet been set, but the trial is expected to start sometime before the end of the year.

Shepard, whose hometown is Topeka, was a KU student from 2000 to 2002 but did not graduate.

Both of Schott’s parents, Susan K. Schott and John S. Schott, are Lawrence residents.

According to his obituary, Schott received a bachelor’s degree in 1997 from the University of Iowa and was working as a district sales manager for the ADP Corp. in Jacksonville.