Overview
- The Kentucky Supreme Court on Thursday vacated Kevon Lawless’s 2022 convictions and remanded the case to Jefferson Circuit Court.
- Justices found a mistrial was necessary after jurors learned from news coverage that a key prosecution witness had been detained and accused of perjury.
- The trial judge denied a defense motion for a mistrial and substituted an alternate juror during deliberations, which the court deemed reversible error.
- Prosecutors said Friday they will pursue a retrial, and Lawless remains incarcerated at the Kentucky State Penitentiary.
- The ruling included a dissent arguing the mistrial denial did not materially affect the verdict in the 2020 killings of Brandon Waddles and his 3-year-old daughter, Trinity Randolph.