Man claimed he didn’t remember killing woman, daughter in Morehead stabbing
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- Cottrell pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence.
- Cottrell told a detective he did not remember killing the mother and daughter.
- He was sentenced to life without parole and a concurrent five-year term.
The man who pleaded guilty to the murders of a Kentucky mother and her daughter told a detective four days after the crime that he didn’t remember killing the victims and that he wasn’t responsible.
Joshua Cottrell, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence April 28, and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to court records. The charges were connected to the deaths of Kayla Blake, 37, and her 13-year-old daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, who were stabbed to death at a home on Spring Street in Morehead on Sept. 19, 2025.
Cottrell and Blake were dating, according to investigative documents obtained by the Herald-Leader through an open records request. One of Blake’s colleagues told investigators Blake met Cottrell while working as a nurse at the prison he was previously incarcerated at.
In 2005, Cottrell was convicted of manslaughter for the death of 36-year-old Richie Phillips. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but was released two and a half years later after receiving parole.
One of Blake’s colleagues told investigators Blake and Cottrell started dating after he was released, according to investigative documents. He lived at Blake’s Spring Street home.
Blake’s colleagues were the ones who reported the killings to police at 11:17 a.m., after they went to check on Blake at her home because she hadn’t shown up to work that day. Investigative documents say they told police Cottrell’s vehicle wasn’t at the home during the welfare check, but neighbors reported seeing him checking the mail the day prior.
Investigators checked the Flock camera database, which captured Cottrell’s vehicle on Kentucky Highway 32 near the Morehead exit at 6:15 a.m. Sept. 19, according to investigative documents. Additional Flock camera images led detectives to believe that Cottrell drove from Morehead to Paducah in about five hours.
Investigators became aware of Cottrell’s presence in Paducah after a therapist at a mental health clinic called Morehead dispatch to report suspicious behavior by Cottrell, who was a patient at the clinic.
Investigative documents say the therapist told dispatch Cottrell made concerning statements, had red/brown stains on his clothing and was taken to a hospital.
Cottrell was arrested at the hospital and booked into the McCracken County jail.
Four days after the killing, Cottrell was interviewed by a detective at the jail. Investigative documents say he claimed he did not remember killing Blake and McWhorter and didn’t believe it was him who committed the crime.
Cottrell also told the detective that he believes a demonic spirit possesses him, according to investigative documents.
The detective also interviewed the therapist, who said Cottrell arrived at the clinic without an appointment. Cottrell told the therapist something life-changing had happened but didn’t share specific details, according to investigative documents.
The therapist told the detective Cottrell’s behavior and statements led her to believe something bad had happened, which led her to calling police. Investigators seized Cottrell’s car and found a gun, gold key, three cell phones and a pair of bloody shorts inside the vehicle, according to investigative documents.
The gold key unlocked the deadbolts to Blake’s home, according to investigative documents.
Investigative documents did not list a motive for Cottrell killing Blake and McWhorter. According to court documents, Blake was stabbed in the head in a bedroom and Kennedi was stabbed in the throat across the hall.
Investigative documents say blood stains and a knife were found by a wet shower in a bathroom. Cottrell was also sentenced to a concurrent five-year prison sentence for the evidence tampering charge.
McWhorter’s biological father told the detective he did not know Cottrell well but had previously tried to convince Blake to not be with him, fearing that something could happen, according to investigative documents. The father tried to legally obtain custody of McWhorter but was unsuccessful.
