Kentucky Supreme Court overturns conviction in murders of Louisville man, his 3-year-old daughter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Kentucky Supreme Court has overturned the murder conviction of a man sentenced to life in prison for the murders of a Louisville man and his 3-year-old daughter.

Kevon Lawless was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2022 after being convicted of two counts of murder and one count of burglary for killing Trinity Randolph, 3, and her father, Brandon Waddles, 21, in 2020.

The shootings took place shortly after 1 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2020, in the 3700 block of Kahlert Avenue, near Strader Avenue.

The high court tossed out the verdict Thursday, saying Judge McKay Chauvin should have declared a mistrial after a witness perjured himself on the stand and was detained for it.

A juror saw news reports about it, but rather than declare a mistrial, Chauvin called back an alternate juror for deliberations.

This centers around a news report, heard by a juror and repeated during deliberations, saying a witness had lied on the stand and was then detained by the court.

According to court documents, the juror "felt they could 'no longer make a decision truthfully' after being informed of" the witness' arrest. Attorneys for Lawless moved for a mistrial, which was denied.

The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled a mistrial should have been granted. Now that Lawless' conviction has been reversed, the case was remanded back to the Jefferson Circuit Court for a possible retrial.

Right now, it's not clear if Lawless will be tried again. In a dissenting opinion, members of the state's high court said the denial of a mistrial did not significantly impact the facts of the case, and that the conviction should have been affirmed.

Lawless, who is behind bars at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, Kentucky, appealed his life sentence last September. But Attorney General Russell Coleman filed documents with the state supreme court to uphold the sentence.

'She was innocent'

In a statement Friday, Coleman said he is "determined to bring Trinity's killer to justice."

"The slaying of three-year-old Trinity Randolph is personal for me. I stood with her mother at her Disney 'Frozen' coffin, and I'll never forget the princess shoes she wore," Coleman said. "I'm determined to bring Trinity's killer to justice. It's heartbreaking that her family and this community are forced to relive that awful day and painful trial."

Coleman said he will continue to support Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina Whethers and her team as they continue prosecuting the case.

In her own statement Friday, Whethers said "this is far from the end of our efforts to fight" for Randolph and Waddles.

"Our prosecutors will proactively pursue a conviction based on the evidence and ensure accountability," her statement continued. "A father and his daughter should still be with us, but are not. We will make sure that their family gets proper justice and our community stays safe."

Prosecutors have said they're looking at appeal options, and that they're looking to get a conviction in this case.

Randolph's family declined to comment on the new ruling Friday. At her funeral in 2020, they spoke about what she meant to their family.

“We called her princess because she knew who she was," Linda Howlett, Trinity’s aunt, said. "She knew that she was supposed to grow up and be something, and that was taken away from her. So we're really sad."

Trinity and her father were shot at a home in Louisville's Jacobs neighborhood. Loved ones said she was playing in her Frozen-themed dollhouse when she was hit by gunfire. At her funeral, Disney princesses stood by the doors of King Solomon like a royal court. Inside, the entire church was decked out in princess themes with flowers, balloons and a tiara placed on the 3-year-old's head as she laid at rest.

“She was innocent,” Howlett said. “She didn't have anything to do with what was going on with adults.”

Lawless case controversy

Lawless' case has been controversial since his Aug. 25, 2020 arrest, more than a week after Randolph and Waddles were shot and killed. He was charged with two counts of murder and his bond was set at $1 million. But days after his arraignment, a judge lowed Lawless' bond to $300,000 full cash and ordered him to be put on home incarceration if the bond was paid.

Less than a year later, Randolph and Waddles' family were blindsided when that bond was posted and Lawless was released on home incarceration July 10, 2021, to await trial.

Kevon Lawless.png — Kevon Lawless (Louisville Metro Department of Corrections)

Late Commonwealth's Attorney Tom Wine said at the time the person who paid Lawless' bond was a record executive. Court documents obtained by WDRB News identified the executive as Nigel Talley. Talley, according to a "Billboard" article, is the manager of EST Gee. EST stands for "Everybody Shine Together," which investigators say is one of Louisville's most notorious and violent street gangs.

But Lawless' release was short-lived. He was arrested less than two weeks later, on July 21, 2021, on a parole violation.

According to court records, Lawless was on parole from a 2015 attempted murder case when Randolph and Waddles were shot and killed. When police arrested him for the double murder, he had a weapon in his car, which popped the parole violation. But the state didn't pursue parole violation until he was released on home incarceration in the murders.

Police said Lawless was on HIP when he allegedly shot a victim several times in September 2015 and ran away. According to previous WDRB News reports, Lawless already had two outstanding warrants for escape from the home incarceration program at the time.

Lawless went to trial in the murders of Randolph and Waddles in September 2022. He was found guilty by a jury after two different deliberations—totaling eight hours—the night of Wednesday, Sept. 21. The jury deliberated twice after Judge McKay Chauvin dismissed a juror and seated an alternate. The new jury took about two hours to reach the verdict. Lawless was facing 20 years to the death penalty.

On Sept. 22, the day after his conviction, the jury recommended Lawless spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole. With the recommendation, the jury implicitly declined to recommend the death penalty, despite a prosecutor's plea.

Chauvin applied the jury's recommendation at Lawless' sentencing hearing Nov. 3, 2022.

This story may be updated.

Previous Coverage:

Man convicted of murdering Louisville man, his 3-year-old daughter appeals life sentence

Kevon Lawless sentenced to life in prison for killing Louisville man, his 3-year-old daughter

Man found guilty in 2020 murder of Louisville 3-year-old, father

Man charged in death of 3-year-old girl, father back behind bars

Family left blindsided after man charged in death of 3-year-old girl, father, released on bond

Louisville man accused of killing 3-year-old girl and her father facing $1 million bond

Second arrest made in connection with fatal shooting of 3-year-old Trinity Randolph and her father, Brandon Waddles

Family, friends mourn 3-year-old Louisville girl and the life 'that was taken away from her'

Louisville family asks for help as it mourns 3-year-old 'bright angel' killed in shooting