KY man sentenced to prison for murder, plus other Lexington court updates
Three cases involving Central Kentucky killings moved through the courts in September, as defendants were sentenced or pleaded guilty to crimes.
Developments included a Lexington man convicted for the 2022 death of a 57-year-old man, and a woman who pleaded guilty for her part in a fatal car crash in November 2023. Here are updates on court cases previously covered by the Herald-Leader.
Steven Smith sentenced for 2022 murder
A Lexington man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing a 57-year-old man.
Fayette Circuit Judge Thomas Travis sentenced Steven Smith on Sept. 9.
In July, Smith was convicted of murder and acquitted of a charge of fourth-degree assault in the September 2022 death of Clarence Adams.
Smith was originally charged with murder, fourth-degree assault, two counts of wanton endangerment, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Charges presented at trial were murder, fourth-degree assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The firearm charge was dismissed by prosecutors, according to court documents.
Smith filed a notice to appeal his sentence Sept. 22.
Yovany Chaple Chalita sentenced for killing wife
A Lexington man charged with the murder of his wife was sentenced to 14 years in prison on amended charges.
Yovany Chaple Chalita, 49, was sentenced Sept. 12 by Judge Lucy VanMeter.
Chalita pleaded guilty in July to first-degree manslaughter. He was originally charged with murder-domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence for shooting and killing his wife, Ashley Stamper, 35, in 2022.
The second charge of evidence tampering was dismissed as part of the plea agreement, according to court documents.
At the time of the shooting, police were called to a home on Linden Walk for a reported suicide. When they arrived, they found Stamper with a gun next to her hand.
Stamper had been shot once through the left arm, and the bullet went through her chest, according to police testimony.
with the bullet having gone through her chest, according to a previous police testimony.
An official from the Fayette County Coroner’s Office described the scene as suspicious, according to testimony.
Stamper’s body and the gun had been moved, blood evidence showed. Klingshirn said Chaple-Chalita was at the scene and interviewed by police. His statements were inconsistent, and he was arrested.
Woman pleads guilty to fatal hit-and-run
A woman charged with fleeing the scene of a fatal crash that left a 44-year-old woman dead pleaded guilty Sept. 10.
Olivia Fouts, 29, pleaded guilty to a count of leaving the scene of an accident with death or serious physical injury, according to court records.
Fouts is accused of hitting Anna Kolokotsas, 44, with her BMW SUV in November 2023 on North Broadway. Kolokotsas died at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital.
Fouts’ arrest citation says she immediately “failed to stop and ascertain the extent of” Kolokotsas’ injuries after the collision.
The collision happened two blocks from where Kolokotsas was visiting family members, according to her obituary. Kolokotsas loved taking walks, her family wrote in the obituary.
Fouts faces 1 1/2 years in prison, according to her plea agreement. She will also be required to pay $3,500 in restitution.
Her sentencing is Nov. 7.
