LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — After 13 long years, Sharon McKinney had a lot to say, and she let it all out during the victim impact statement portion of today’s sentencing hearing inside Fayette Circuit Court.
Sharon was one of three of Charlie Sowers’s children who spoke today, as the two people charged with their father’s murder were sentenced. The case went cold until a break in 2020.
That’s when police arrested and charged Edward Carroll and Rachel Martin in connection to the assault at Sowers’s home, which ultimately killed him. Both Carroll and Martin accepted plea deals in October of this year, and those negotiations were acceptable to the victim’s family members.
“We felt it was more important to get them behind bars than for it to continue on and maybe they get out and do future harm to others,” said McKinney following Tuesday's hearing.
Judge Jeffrey Taylor considered many factors and then sentenced Carroll to a maximum of 10 years for second-degree manslaughter, (eight with time already served).
Martin’s attorney claimed she was the victim of domestic violence at Carroll’s hands, but the Commonwealth’s Attorney said there was no such evidence from 13 years ago to support that claim. Still, Judge Taylor considered that claim but said he could not ignore the other evidence.
Martin was given a five-year sentence for facilitation to murder, with an additional five tacked on for being a persistent felony offender. She too was credited with two years of time already served. Martin read a prepared apology to the victim’s family members.
“It was nice to hear, but this — this is — you can’t undo the things you do,” McKinney said. She added that she is not happy that two people's lives are now ruined, but said they did deserve the punishment.
Charlie Sowers owned Charlie’s Bar on Bryan Station Road. He was 71 at the time of his death in 2009. McKinney said Carroll often worked odd jobs for Sowers.
