Men who pleaded guilty in death of pregnant woman in Lexington sentenced

Four men who pleaded guilty in February to charges related to the shooting death of 22-year-old Maryiah Coleman were sentenced Thursday in Fayette County Circuit Court.

Demetrioun Boaz, 22, pleaded guilty to charges of murder and third-degree fetal homicide on Feb. 5. He was sentenced Thursday to 35 years in prison, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.

Joseph Fain, 21, Saquan Freeman, 21, and Skylar Stigall, 23, all pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and third-degree fetal homicide in the case. Fain was sentenced to 22 years in prison, Freeman was sentenced to 22 years and Stigall was sentenced to 17 years, WKYT reported.

All four of the men avoided the possibility of the death penalty by pleading guilty in the case.

Coleman, 22, was shot and killed in September of 2016 when she was walking her dog outside the Matador North Apartments on Winburn Drive. She was eight months pregnant. She and her unborn son, Jakobe, died at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.

Boaz, Fain, Freeman and Stigall were attempting to rob a fifth man, Eric Cannady, when shots were fired and Coleman was struck, according to court documents. She was a bystander.

This story was originally published March 14, 2019 at 8:32 PM.