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

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kevon Lawless, the man convicted of killing a young father and his 3-year-old daughter in August 2020, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Lawless was found guilty of double murder and burglary in September. Those charges are in connection with the killings of Brandon Waddles and his 3-year-old daughter, Trinity Randolph, in the 3700 block of Kahlert Avenue, near Strader Avenue.

A jury recommended Lawless spend the rest of this life in prison without the possibility of parole, which Judge McKay Chauvin ultimately applied. The jury in Jefferson Circuit Court implicitly declined to recommend the death penalty for Lawless despite a prosecutor's plea.

Several family members testified on behalf of Lawless in September. Prosecutors wanted to show body camera footage of Trinity being rushed to the hospital by Louisville Metro Police officers, but Judge McKay Chauvin ruled the only videos that could be played were those already submitted into evidence.

"When that officer was running, golly," Judge Chauvin said at sentencing. "The wave of grief and sadness that washed over people as he ran by with her body is something I will never forget."

Prosecutors tried to prove that Lawless was responsible for killing Waddles and Trinity. They presented text messages, video surveillance from a neighbor and an Instagram Live video that shows Waddles and Lawless arguing.

Defense attorneys questioned the evidence from the beginning, calling it circumstantial and not enough to convict Lawless.

Lawless' bond was set at $1 million in August 2020, but a judge lowered it to $300,000 full cash days after his arraignment and ordered him to be on home incarceration if the bond was paid. New York record producer Nigel Talley posted the $300,000 on July 10, 2021.

Family said they were left blindsided at the time. Just weeks later, on July 21, 2021, Lawless was back behind bars on a parole violation.

This story will be updated.

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