‘Remorseful about what happened.’ Lexington man facing murder charge takes plea deal
A Lexington man has accepted a plea deal in a 2020 deadly shooting which will see him serve 10 years behind bars.
Dontate Lamont Burruss, 48, pleaded guilty to manslaughter after previously being charged with the murder of James White outside the Motel 6 on Newtown Court in June 2020. Burruss was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in prison without the possibility of probation.
“Mr. Burruss has been from the very beginning, day one, remorseful about what happened,” Burruss’ attorney, Bonnie Potter, said in court Thursday. “ ... He has accepted responsibility.”
Burruss declined to make any comments when given the chance in court Thursday.
The shooting happened on June 23. Police believed that White, Burruss and a woman named Darica Lynem were in an SUV at the motel. Burruss was accused of attempting to rob White and then shooting him as White got out of the vehicle, according to court records.
White had a gunshot wound in his leg and was taken to University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where he later died, according to court records.
Detectives identified multiple witnesses and obtained surveillance video from the crime scene. Witnesses told police they saw Burruss with a handgun trying to rob White of his cash, according to court records. Burruss then fled in the same SUV he was in when he fired at White, witnesses said.
Court records indicate that Burruss at one point told investigators he shot White in self-defense.
Burruss’ plea deal was reached through successful mediation, according to court records. Retired Kentucky Judge Julia Hylton Adams was appointed by the state Supreme Court to mediate Burruss’ case. Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas L. Travis requested that Adams mediate the case because there were “complex issues to be discussed.”
The mediation was successful and Burruss signed a plea agreement on Dec. 9.
The 10-year sentence was the length recommended by prosecutors. Rodman Swinford, the assistant commonwealth’s attorney who prosecuted Burruss’ case, said several of the victim’s family members submitted letters to Travis for him to consider when determining Burruss’ sentence.
Travis said he read all the handwritten letters and told White’s family members in the courtroom on Thursday that he was “very sorry about your loss.”
Burruss had also been charged with robbery in the case but that charge was dismissed as part of his plea agreement, according to court records.
Burruss had 527 days of custody credit for the time he spent in the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center while waiting for his case to be settled. That time will count towards his sentence, and will reduce his remaining time in detention by nearly 1.5 years.
Lynem, the other person in the SUV, had also been charged with murder and robbery. But her charges were dismissed without prejudice in November 2020, according to court records.