Man charged in 2017 murder pleads guilty to reduced charge, could receive 6 year sentence

A Lexington man arrested in a 2017 killing that left a mother of three dead has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Lawrence Westbrook III, 45, pleaded guilty to second-degree complicity to manslaughter. He was originally charged with murder and being a persistent felony offender for the death of 39-year-old Rachel Jean Preston.

Westbrook was arrested in 2017 after Preston’s body was found near the Jessamine County line on Tates Creek Road with multiple gunshot wounds.

He pleaded guilty Monday morning before Fayette Circuit Judge Kimberly Bunnell as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Prosecutors recommended a sentence of six years for the reduced charge which was the result of court-ordered mediation.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Amanda Naish said the deal was reached “based on the facts of the case.” She said complicity to manslaughter was offered because another person said they were present at the time of the murder, and implicated him.

“Mr. Westbrook entered a plea to resolve the case and move on with his life,” she told the Herald-Leader.

There are disputes between the defense and the prosecution about whether the other person was involved in the crime.

Naish said Westbrook and the prosecution have two different theories about what took place the night of the killing, and investigators have not pursued charges against the other person.

Naish said the other person involved was never charged by police.

Westbrook is scheduled to be sentenced June 30.

This story was originally published May 23, 2023 at 8:05 AM.

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.