Kevon Lawless pleaded guilty this week to murder, burglary and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon in the 2020 shooting deaths of Brandon Waddles and his 3-year-old daughter, Trinity Randolph, inside a home in Louisville's Jacobs neighborhood. The plea, entered on Monday, closes out a case that had already produced one conviction, an overturned verdict, and years of renewed uncertainty for the victims' loved ones.
According to WHAS11, Lawless shot Waddles and Trinity inside the home on Aug. 14, 2020. Prosecutors said Lawless had entered the home in the Jacobs neighborhood to engage in criminal activity before the shootings occurred. Commonwealth's Attorney Gerina Whethers said Lawless admitted responsibility for the killings as part of the plea.
Whethers said the plea brought justice for Waddles and Trinity after six years had passed since their deaths, and she said the outcome might bring peace to the family and loved ones left behind. She also credited the violent crimes unit prosecutor and team for their dedication to the case, and credited Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and his office for their support, the station's report noted.
A Case That Had Already Gone Through One Trial
This was not Lawless's first time facing consequences for the killings. He had previously been convicted and, per the same account, was sentenced to two life sentences without parole in November 2023, according to WLKY. That conviction did not stand.
The Kentucky Supreme Court later overturned the verdict, ruling that a mistrial should have been declared after the entire jury was improperly informed that a key witness had been arrested on allegations of perjury. In the opinion reproduced by FindLaw, the court wrote: “We conclude that a mistrial should have been declared once the trial court was made aware that the entire jury had been improperly informed.” That ruling sent the case back to square one, years after Waddles and his daughter were killed.
Sentencing Details and What Comes Next
Monday's plea followed that reversal. The commonwealth's attorney's office said Lawless was sentenced to 35 years in prison, while the station's report also described the sentences as recommended to run consecutively for a total of 35 years — language that reflects how the plea agreement characterized the term. The case now ends with a guilty plea rather than a jury verdict.
For a family that waited six years between the killings and this resolution, through a conviction, an appeal and a reversal, the plea represents what Whethers described as a chance for peace. The underlying facts of what happened inside that Jacobs neighborhood home on Aug. 14, 2020, remain as WHAS11 and the other outlets following the case have reported them: a father and his 3-year-old daughter shot to death, and a man who has now pleaded guilty to their killings.
