LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A case against a woman who was arrested and charged for a 2022 homicide will be sent to a grand jury.
35-year-old Jennifer Kashuba was arrested February 27, 2023 and charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with physical evidence for a homicide on Cambridge Drive in February 2022.
A judge found probable cause for the case against Kashuba to move forward and it was sent to a grand jury.
The night of February 17, 2022, police and LFD responded to the 2000 block of Cambridge Drive for reports of a dead body located near a dumpster.
The coroner identified the victim as 40-year-old Jimmy Lawrence Medlock. A detective testified Medlock died of a single stab wound through the chest and lung that pierced his heart.
After Medlock was identified as the victim, he was linked to Kashuba through public assistance housing records.
Testimony heard during a court appearance confirmed Kashuba and Medlock had been living together at a Cambridge Drive apartment.
Detectives acquired a warrant to search the Cambridge Drive apartment and found a distinct odor of decomposition in a front living room closet. They also found what looked to be human decomposition on the floor of the closet.
This evidence was tested and the DNA matched Medlock. A warrant for arrest was issued and Kashuba was arrested in February for abuse of a corpse and tampering with physical evidence.
She was taken into custody by Lexington Police and during questioning she admitted to stabbing Medlock and hiding his body in the closet. She also admitted to wrapping it up and disposing it at the apartment complex.
Kashuba is claiming self-defense. On cross examination, a detective testified that Kashuba described being in a physical altercation with Medlock and she grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed him in self-defense.
Advanced decomposition made identification difficult. The coroner's office collaborated with Othram DNA Laboratory to use advanced forensic DNA testing to identify Medlock.
During the investigation, the death was ruled a homicide and the cause of death was a laceration/stab wound to the chest.
She is being held at the Fayette County Detention Center.
