Kentucky prosecutor killed in single-vehicle crash after hitting tree
A prosecutor in Western Kentucky was killed in a car crash Tuesday, according to Kentucky State Police.
Michael Stacy, commonwealth’s attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit, was killed in a car crash Tuesday, according to Kentucky State Police.
The crash happened just before 4:30 p.m. near the 3000 block of US-51 in the Clinton community of Hickman County. KSP said Stacy was driving the car when it went off the road and hit a tree.
Stacy was declared dead at the scene. A passenger was transported by AirEvac to an out-of-state hospital and is in stable condition.
Both occupants were wearing their seat belts when the crash occurred, KSP said. The collision is being investigated by KSP.
Stacy was the commonwealth attorney for Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton and Hickman counties. Attorney General Russell Coleman said Stacy was the type of person people wanted on their side in the courtroom.
“As a prosecutor, he was tough, but fair. And as a public servant, he earned the respect of his colleagues and the families he served,” Coleman said in a statement on Facebook.
The Graves County Sheriff’s Office shared a story from a woman who was prosecuted by Stacy. In 2017, the woman was in prison and one day received an encouraging letter from Stacy and his wife.
The woman said the letter changed how she looked at Stacy.
“I later got the chance to tell him how thankful I was that God had placed him along my journey of life, that those words he had written in that letter changes me and how I began to see my self and value as person,” the person wrote on the Graves County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page.
The Carlisle County Office of Public Safety said Stacy was more than a prosecutor — he was a man of integrity, fairness, and unwavering dedication to justice.
“He worked tirelessly to protect and serve the people of our region, always with a calm presence, a sharp mind, and a kind heart,” the public safety office said in a Facebook post. “His leadership in the courtroom was matched only by his compassion outside of it.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2025 at 10:02 AM.
