Prosecutors, Lexington suspect reach plea deal on same day murder trial was set to start
A Lexington murder suspect and his attorney reached a plea agreement with prosecutors Monday, just moments before he was scheduled to stand trial.
Mykel Smith, 23, was accused of killing Adrian Sturgis over three years ago. His murder trial was set to start Monday but he instead pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree manslaughter. He will be sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison if a Fayette Circuit Court judge follows prosecutors’ recommendations at sentencing.
According to Smith’s attorney, Chris Tracy, he and his client met earlier this year for mediation alongside a felony mediator, Sturgis’ family, Smith, and Smith’s family.
There was no resolution at that time. The parties met again last week and got a bit closer to reaching a plea deal but failed to do so. However, right before entering the courtroom Monday, Smith and his attorney agreed on a deal with prosecutors, Tracy said.
“There is no time like the last minute,” Tracy said. “We managed to figure out an offer before entering the court. We were there and the jury was standing in the hallways and the judge was getting ready to call them in to start court proceedings, and we had figured out a deal, so instead of going through with (the trial), the judge called the jurors in and said there is no trial.”
According to an arrest citation, Smith, who was 20 years old at the time of the incident, shot Sturgis in the front yard of a home on Race Street just after 7:30 a.m. on March 24, 2019.
Smith was arrested less than 36 hours later and originally charged with first-degree assault, according to court documents. An arrest citation said Smith admitted to the shooting.
Sturgis died four days after the shooting, so Smith’s assault charge was amended to murder.
Smith’s jury trial began on Monday. Less than an hour after the trial begin, Smith and his attorney submitted a petition to enter a plea of guilty. He agreed to plead guilty to a second-degree manslaughter charge, according to court documents.
Prosecutors recommended that Smith serve nine years and nine months for the conviction, according to court documents.
Smith will be sentenced on June 16.
Tracy said this was the second time he and a client have entered a plea just moments before entering the courtroom for a trial.
