Lexington man who killed his wife, daughters gets decades in prison
A man who killed his wife and two daughters in May 2022, allegedly in fear of financial collapse, was sentenced to prison Thursday.
Steven Wilson, 65, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder — domestic violence in May, according to court records. Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman sentenced Wilson Thursday to 25 years for each count of murder and ordered the sentences to run consecutively.
However, the maximum sentence allowed by state law on consecutive terms is 70 years, leaving Wilson with a 70-year sentence. Goodman said she would sentence him to more time if she could.
“To say that he found it appropriate to kill the three people that he supposedly most cared about because they couldn’t live another lifestyle, the court finds extremely disingenuous,” Goodman said. “There is nothing that I read in his report and anything else I’ve read that could justify these kinds of things.”
Goodman said the most compelling thing she read in Wilson’s pre-sentencing report was his own description of what happened. She said it was the most callous thing she’s read in her 44-year career in criminal justice.
“The way in which he killed his children and his wife without any concern or regard and the callousness of it. The fact that he killed two and then went back and got his last daughter, brought her home and killed her,” Goodman said.
Wilson’s attorney Andrea Kendall asked for the sentences to run concurrently, which would have put Wilson behind bars for only 25 years. Kendall said the crime is out of her client’s character and he has taken responsibility for his actions.
“Mr. Wilson has taken responsibility for his actions and at all times wished for a speedy resolution and has done everything he could to make them whole,” Kendall told Goodman before the sentencing.
The shooting happened at the Wilsons’ home on Caywood Drive in May 2022. Lisa Wilson, 65; Bryonny Wilson, 42; and Bronwyn Wilson, 38, were shot multiple times and were declared dead on scene.
Wilson’s attorney, Andrea Kendall, previously said Wilson wanted to resolve the case quickly.
Wilson previously told Goodman he killed his wife of 40 years and two adult daughters because he was worried about finances with his wife’s upcoming retirement as a longtime nurse.
Wilson originally faced the death penalty, but that was taken off the table after a plea deal was reached.
Herald-Leader reporter Taylor Six contributed to this story
This story was originally published June 29, 2023 at 9:40 AM.
