Man convicted in shooting that paralyzed girl resentenced after Supreme Court ruling
A man who was initially sentenced to life in prison for a Lexington shooting that paralyzed an 11-year-old girl was resentenced this week after the Kentucky Supreme Court found the first punishment unlawful.
Carlos Jenkins, 26, was found guilty in 2019 of first-degree assault, evidence tampering and eight counts of wanton endangerment. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus 50 years.
Amya Catching, who was 11 years old at the time of the shooting, had been at a sleepover when Jenkins fired multiple rounds into a house, striking her in the back and paralyzing her, according to police and court records.
This week, Jenkins was resentenced to 65 years, according to WKYT, the Herald-Leader’s reporting partner.
The new sentence is still the maximum that Jenkins could have received by law.
Jenkins’ initial sentence was so high because he’d been convicted of being a persistent felony offender, a charge that can enhance sentences imposed for other counts.
However, the Kentucky Supreme Court found that Jenkins should not have been found guilty of being a persistent felony offender because there wasn’t enough evidence of that presented at trial.
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 5:04 PM.
