Lexington man gets prison time after fatally stabbing his mom during mental health crisis
Lauren Boccieri used to talk to her mother, Leslie Bales, every day on the way home from work before March 19, 2022. Her mother was killed that night, and her drives home since then have been lonelier than ever, she said in a Fayette Circuit courtroom Thursday.
She lost her brother that day too: 27-year-old Justus “Abe” Bales, who fatally stabbed their mother while suffering a mental health episode caused by schizoaffective bipolar disorder.
Thursday afternoon, she and other members of the Bales family were present in the courtroom as Abe Bales was sentenced to 17 years in prison for the death of their mom by Judge Kimberly Bunnell.
Bales pleaded guilty but mentally ill to first-degree manslaughter on July 25. He was originally charged with murder — domestic violence in March 2022.
He stabbed 54-year-old Leslie Bales at a home off Southland Drive. When police were called to the home, they found the victim with “multiple stab wounds” which caused her death.
Despite a plea of guilty but mentally ill, Bales was found competent to stand trial by a physician.
His family fondly remembered Leslie Bales during the sentencing hearing, and advocated for their brother to be placed in a facility that could allow him to be treated and keep himself and others safe.
Boccieri said her mother was an advocate for her brother’s mental health and it “weighed on her heavily.” She described her mom as her mentor, and a unique and loving person.
“She wanted him to receive medication treatment and psycho-social therapy,” she said. “And I want that for my brother as well.”
Abe’s paternal aunt, Kelly, said in court Thursday that the circumstances of Leslie’s murder are as heartbreaking as they are complex.
“Our family is torn between grief of losing Leslie and the mental deterioration of a man we all clearly love,” she said.
Since he has been incarcerated, Abe Bales told his family and the court he has learned how to better take care of his mental health, and recognizes the importance of treatment.
“While I don’t recollect the mindset I was in that night, I do know that it was a twisted version of reality that I was enveloped in,” Abe Bales said. “I apologize to my family that I hid my mental health struggles for so long from them because I could have gotten help sooner.”
