RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – UPDATE 9/15/2025 6:22 PM: The Raleigh County Public Defender Corporation has announced that Kostenko is no longer representing clients in the public defender’s office.
Statement from the Raleigh County Public Defender Corporation:
“Please be advised that Mr. Kostenko is no longer representing clients of the Raleigh County Public Defender Corporation. As this is a personnel matter, no further information can or will be given.”
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ORIGINAL STORY 9/11/2025 1:22 PM: Kris Kostenko, Chief Deputy Public Defender of Raleigh County, is under scrutiny following a Facebook post he made regarding the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk.
After news of Kirk’s death, Kostenko shared a video originally posted by the Facebook page Being Liberal, showing Kirk moments before the shooting.
The original video caption read: “Charlie Kirk was debating a student about mass shootings when shot.”
Kostenko added his own caption, writing: “Nice to see he was willing to be a statistic…”
The post has since been deleted, though it sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many users sharing screenshots of the original content.
Raleigh County Commissioner Daniel Hall addressed the controversy Thursday morning after receiving numerous complaints.
“The Raleigh County Public Defender Corporation is a private corporation that receives funds from the state of West Virginia and other sources,” Hall said in a statement.
In a separate Facebook post Thursday morning, the Raleigh County Public Defender Corporation confirmed it was aware of the post.
“The office is aware of the post on Facebook by an employee and is investigating it. As it is a personnel matter no further statements can be made. We appreciate the public’s concern, however, the constant calls to the office are impeding our ability to represent our clients,” the statement read.
Following the backlash, Kostenko posted on Facebook late Wednesday night to clarify his intentions.
“To all who read my post earlier today about Charlie Kirk please note that I am not happy that he was killed today. No one deserves to be assasinated! No one! Sorry some may have misinterpreted my post. Thoughts and prayers to his family,” he wrote.
No announcement has been made regarding any disciplinary action at the time of this writing.
