Lexington man sentenced for child’s fentanyl overdose, other Fayette court updates
Several defendants were sentenced in June for homicides in Lexington after their cases moved through Fayette County courts.
In one, a Lexington father was sentenced for the death of a 4-year-old who overdosed on fentanyl, and in another case, a man was sentenced for a fatal beating in July 2024.
Here are court updates on cases previously covered by the Herald-Leader.
Anderson George
A third defendant charged in connection to a 4-year-old’s death was sentenced in June by Fayette Circuit Judge Diane Minnifield.
Anderson George, 30, was sentenced to serve 10 years in prison for the death of a child identified in court documents as “B.H.”
He pleaded guilty to complicity to wanton endangerment and complicity to tamper with physical evidence. Charges of trafficking fentanyl and two counts of complicity to wanton endangerment were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
Police arrested George, and two women, 28-year-old Briana Turpin and 20-year-old Raven Houston, who were sentenced in 2025.
Turpin received a seven-year sentence and Houston received three years of probation, according to court documents.
Roger Wiley
A Lexington man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to a 2024 murder involving an attack using landscaping supplies.
Roger Wiley, 57, pleaded guilty to for the death of Charles McDowell at Labor Works on Old Georgetown Street in Lexington.
Wiley was originally charged with murder and second-degree assault. The assault charge was later amended to fourth-degree assault as part of the plea negotiations, according to an April 27 filing.
Lexington police detective Josh Phillips previously testified Wiley used a large piece of landscaping timber with screws and nails attached to the end of it during the assault.
The detective said surveillance footage shows Wiley hiding behind a tree approximately 10 to 15 feet away from McDowell before sneaking up to the victim and beginning the assault.
A bystander tried to intervene in the assault and suffered cuts to the hand, leading to the assault charge. Phillips said he advocated for the bystander to receive medical treatment, but they declined.
Surveillance footage captured the entirety of the incident, according to Phillips. Multiple witnesses provided statements to police which matched the events caught on video camera.
Witnesses also provided a description of Wiley, and he was found near the scene, according to Phillips. He was detained and brought to police headquarters for an interview, where he confessed to the assault.
In the interview, Wiley claimed McDowell had a knife, but no weapon was recovered at the scene after officers searched the area, according to Phillips.
Emmanuel Pena Contreras and Arturo Contreras-Mariano
Two Lexington men were sentenced for amended charges related to a drug deal that left a teen dead in June 2023.
Emmanuel Contreras, 21, and Arturo Contreras-Mariano, 19, pleaded guilty to charges for the death of 16-year-old Christopher Valdez.
Contreras was originally charged with murder, assault, evidence tampering and trafficking marijuana charges. On April 24, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree manslaughter and trafficking less than eight ounces of marijuana.
His evidence tampering and assault charges were dismissed as part of the plea deal. He was sentenced to serve eight years in prison.
His cousin, Contreras-Mariano, was originally charged with attempted murder and first-offense possession of a handgun by a minor.
His charges were amended as part of the deal to lesser offenses, including assault under extreme emotional disturbance and second-offense possession of a handgun.
Contreras-Mariano also received an eight-year sentence.
Contreras told police that he and Contreras-Mariano were sitting in a car at Pine Meadows Park when Valdez and a juvenile victim approached them with firearms, according previous detective testimony.
The two were waiting to conduct a drug deal that had been set up through social media, according to police.
Both sides fired at each other, according to testimony.
Detective John Davis said a juvenile witness who lived nearby told officers he saw Valdez run into the woodline of the park.
“With that new information, we were able to locate the deceased into the woodline with a single gunshot to the back,” Davis said.
Davis said police used Flock cameras to track a car involved in the incident to a house in Masterson Station.
They also found Contreras at a residence with his girlfriend, and followed him until they conducted a traffic stop. Contreras made remarks about what happened at the park and was taken to police headquarters for interviews, Davis said.
Contreras told police the juvenile who was with Valdez began firing at him and his cousin first, prompting them to return fire. The sentencing is scheduled for June 24.
