Teens accused in death of Lexington man found in nearby county; homicide breaks record

Two teenagers have been charged in Lexington’s 29th homicide of 2019, which breaks a city record, according to Lexington police.

Lexington police investigators learned on Tuesday about a man who was killed Sunday at an apartment on Augusta Court before his body was taken across county lines, police said. Evidence at the apartment showed someone suffered significant traumatic injuries there, according to police.

With help from the Springfield Police Department, Lexington officers found the remains of 57-year-old Donald Foster, of Lexington, in a rural area of Washington County, police said.

Anthony “Tony” Asay, 18, was served a warrant Wednesday for murder and evidence tampering. Asay, who lived in the Augusta Court apartment where the evidence was found, was in an argument with Foster that resulted in Foster’s death, Lexington police said. Police did not say how Foster died.

Asay and a roommate, 19-year-old Dillon Stewart, then disposed of Foster’s body along with other evidence, according to police. Stewart was also arrested Wednesday and charged with evidence tampering. They were arrested by Nicholasville police and placed in the Jessamine County Detention Center.

Foster’s death is the 29th homicide of 2019, which breaks the previous record of 28 set in 2017.

Lexington police chief Lawrence Weathers said in a December interview that high-risk behaviors and drug-related activities have contributed to the violence.

“Lexington is a safe city, and unless you’re involved in some of the circumstances that we see some of these people involved in, the chances of you being a homicide victim are very low,” Weathers said.

Eleven of the city’s 29 homicides from 2019 are still open.

This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 3:25 PM.