LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville man was sentenced Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to manslaughter in connection with a fatal shooting outside a bar in the city's Russell neighborhood in 2024.
Kevin Powell was initially charged with murder in the Nov. 17, 2024, shooting in the parking lot of Club Cedar on South 26th Street that killed 54-year-old Earl Crawford and injured another person.
In court Tuesday morning, Judge Patricia Morris sentenced Powell, 62, to 35 years in prison for manslaughter, assault and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon in the shooting. Powell pleaded guilty to the amended charges July 2, according to court records.Â
According to a news release from Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina D. Whethers' office, Powell was sentenced to 15 years for manslaughter, 10 years for assault and 10 years for possession of a handgun by a convicted felon to run concurrently for 15 years. "With persistent felony offender enhancements" in a separate case, and a 20-year sentence from another case that will run consecutively with the 15-year sentence, Powell faces a total of 35 years behind bars.
Powell will not be eligible for probation or shock probation until he has served a minimum of 85% of his 15-year sentence for manslaughter before being considered for parole.
"Gun violence remains a persistent threat in our community, and we will do all in our power to work against it," Whethers said in a statement. "I appreciate the invaluable work of our prosecutors to fight this scourge and ensure that justice is done."
At the time of the shooting, Louisville Metro Police said officers responding to the scene in the 400 block of South 26th Street found two men who had been shot. One of the men, identified as Crawford, died at the scene while a second man, who was shot in the leg, was taken to the hospital.
In court for his arraignment following his November 2024 arrest, a judge set Powell's bond at $500,000 full cash. Citing his lengthy criminal record, prosecutors asked for his bond to be raised to $1 million. However, the judge decided to keep it at $500,000 after Powell's attorney argued that amount would be far out of Powell's reach to post.
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