Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association
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Commonwealth Attorneys Association • 2026 Winter Conference
Chris Allen was raised in central Kentucky. He earned a law degree at the University of Louisville and maintains a license to practice law in Kentucky. He is also a registered/licensed private investigator in Kentucky and Virginia. Chris earned 3 master’s degrees in military strategy, military operational art and science, and security studies.
Chris is a retired United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with over 22 years of leadership and operational experience, including deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, and sub-Saharan Africa. His decorated military service spanned several functional areas including 13 years as an Air Force Office of Special Investigations special agent and supervisory agent driving numerous federal criminal and fraud cases, counterintelligence and counterterrorism activities, and protective service details (including for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Secretary of the Air Force, and Chief of Staff of the Air Force), and 7 years leading cyberspace operations (including service as a squadron commander). He is a Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Criminal Investigator Training Program graduate, where he earned Academic and Driver Training Awards. He is an Air Force Special Investigations Academy Distinguished Graduate of the Basic Special Investigations Course.
Prior to his current role as the Director of the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center, Chris served briefly as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky. He worked as a private investigator for Capital Security & Investigations, LLC, in Lexington, Kentucky. He previously taught an undergraduate counterintelligence course as an adjunct faculty member at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. For his final military tour of duty, he served as a professional military education instructor at the Command and Staff College, United States Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia.
Lieutenant Tyson S. Carroll has served with the Lexington Police Department for 15 years, bringing broad investigative and supervisory experience across multiple specialized units. He has worked as an Internet Crimes Against Children Detective, a Homicide Detective in the Personal Crimes Unit, a Personal Crimes Sergeant, an Intelligence Sergeant, and now serves as Lieutenant over the Technology Section in the Bureau of Administration.
Lieutenant Carroll is a recognized subject matter expert on cellular device–based investigations, with over a decade of experience testifying in criminal cases and training officers at the Lexington Police Academy. He has completed advanced training in mobile device forensics, peer-to-peer network investigations, undercover online investigations, and cellular record analysis through the National White Collar Crime Center, FBI, and National Computer Forensics Institute.
Beyond his police work, Lieutenant Carroll holds a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology from the University of Kentucky and is a graduate of the Lexington Police Academy. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves and National Guard, gaining valuable leadership and operational experience.
At this conference, Lieutenant Carroll will share insights into the dynamics of dating violence and stalking, examine the role of technology in these offenses, and offer practical guidance for effective investigation and victim-centered response.
Justice Michelle M. Keller was appointed to the Kentucky Supreme Court in April 2013. She was subsequently elected in both 2014 and 2022 for two full terms on the Court. Prior to her service on the Supreme Court, Justice Keller was elected as a Judge to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2006. Justice Keller has served on the Judicial Conduct Commission, was Chairperson of the Court of Justice’s Technology Governance Committee and is currently Chairperson of the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission and Criminal Rules Committee.
Prior to her service on the bench, Justice Keller practiced law for 17 years. She served as an Assistant County Attorney for her home county of Kenton. Her private practice concentrated in the areas of medical negligence and product liability defense, personal injury, family law and criminal defense. Justice Keller also practiced administrative law, representing numerous clients before state regulatory and licensure boards. She is Chairwoman Emeritus of the Kentucky Personnel Board and has served as a hearing officer and member of that Board. Justice Keller is licensed to practice law in Kentucky, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the Honorary Order of Kentucky Colonels and has twice been commended by the Kentucky House of Representatives for her service to the Commonwealth.
Justice Keller attended Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law while working as a licensed registered nurse in critical care. At Chase, Justice Keller was an IOLTA Scholar, earning her Juris Doctor in 1990. Chase presented Justice Keller with both the Chase Excellence and Chase Exceptional Service Awards in 2007 and 2011, respectively.
Additionally, Justice Keller was named a 2012 Outstanding Woman of Northern Kentucky honoree. In 2013 she received the Richard D. Lawrence Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Northern Kentucky Bar Association (“NKBA”). Justice Keller was honored in 2014 with the Liberty Bell Award for her service to the Court of Justice, and in 2016 she was inducted into the Lloyd Memorial High School Alumni Hall of Fame. In December 2017, Justice Keller was the first woman presented with the Distinguished Lawyer of the Year Award by the NKBA. The Kentucky Bar Association (“KBA”) honored Justice Keller with the 2020 Distinguished Judge Award. She was presented the 2024 Justice For All Award by the Northern Kentucky Volunteer Lawyers, was honored as a 2024 Phenomenal Woman by the New Beginning Community Church Women’s Ministry and received the 2024 Fair Administration of Justice Award from the Kentucky Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. In 2025, Justice Keller was presented with the Seeds of Hope Award from Mentoring Plus.
Justice Keller has served in various positions for the NKBA, KBA and the American Bar Association. In 2009, she received the KBA’s Donated Legal Services Award for her commitment to Pro Bono service and support of Kentucky’s legal services organizations. She is a Master in the Salmon P. Chase Inn of Court and served as President of the Inn from 2012-13. Justice Keller is also a Fellow of both the American and Kentucky Bar Foundations.
A lifelong Northern Kentuckian, Justice Keller and her husband, Jim, a physician, are the proud parents of two adult daughters. One serves as a public health practitioner and the other is a practicing attorney.
L. Scott Miller represents police officers across Kentucky and Tennessee in state and federal courts, with a focus on representing them during investigations of officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents.
A former Kentucky State Police Trooper and Lt. Colonel and a Sheriff’s Deputy in Tennessee, Scott brings more than 20 years of experience defending police officers and helping create preventative department policies. He is distinctively credentialed to represent officers during critical incidents and officer-involved shootings and to defend the expanding area of lawsuits filed against police officers, such as malicious prosecution, illegal search and seizure, false arrest, and excessive force. He also provides expert review of police policies and makes recommendations for best practices.
His career with the Kentucky State Police began as a trooper and expanded to include legal work as he earned his law degree while maintaining full-time employment as an officer. He oversaw litigation and has represented the Kentucky State Police and troopers in a variety of matters including civil rights cases and employment law cases. Prior to joining the Kentucky State Police in 1998, Scott was a Sheriff’s Deputy in Tennessee for five years. During college, he completed an externship with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and with the District Attorney for Tennessee’s 8th Judicial District.
Scott currently provides representation to Kentucky State Police Troopers and is panel counsel for the Kentucky Association of Counties, the Kentucky League of Cities, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Tennessee Local Government Insurance Pool, PLEA (Professional Law Enforcement Association), and the Southern States Police Benevolent Association.
Kathy Phillips is the Kentucky Domestic Violence Resource Prosecutor (DVRP) for the Office of the Attorney General. In this role, she provides training and support to enhance the capability of Kentucky prosecutors and police to effectively prosecute domestic violence cases and to protect victims of intimate violence and abuse. As DVRP, Kathy works with PAC on ongoing training programs for Kentucky prosecutors.
Prior to joining the Kentucky Attorney General’s office, Kathy was an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Fayette County where she served as the Director of the Special Victim’s Unit (SVU). There, Kathy prosecuted all types of serious felony offenses, worked numerous high-profile cases, and had expansive jury trial experience. She has always embraced the importance of working with and providing training and support for police and prosecutors and has trained on a variety of issues involving investigation, evidence collection, testifying in court and legal presentations. During her prosecutorial career, Kathy served on numerous community boards and worked with other local and state-wide organizations and multi-disciplinary groups as a prosecution liaison, providing training and guidance on many subjects. In her role as DVRP, Kathy continues to serve as a prosecution liaison on state-wide committees to improve collaboration and systemic responses to issues related to Interpersonal Violence.
Kathy also advocated and worked with groups for the enactment of important legislation, the Kentucky Felony Strangulation law, and she continues to lead training and educational efforts on strangulation-related prosecutions. She is a contributor to the Responding to Strangulation in Kentucky Manual, released by the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General in 2025, and to the Domestic and Interpersonal Violence Prosecution Policy Procedure Manual, both being resources designed to assist prosecutors, law enforcement, victim advocates, and multi-disciplinary partners in handling these critical cases by equipping them with the necessary resources and information to address interpersonal violence more thoroughly and effectively.
Kathy originally began her career at the Department of Public Advocacy which she found an invaluable learning experience. After serving as a prosecutor for over 24 years, she retired from that position but returned to prosecution in her part-time role as the newly created position of the Kentucky DVRP.
Rob Sanders has served as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 16th Judicial Circuit of Kentucky (Kenton County) since 2007. Rob oversees Kentucky’s third largest felony prosecutor office while personally maintaining an active caseload. He previously served as Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in the same office from 1999-2000. Prior to election, Rob was a partner with his father, wife, and brother, in The Sanders Law Firm, PSC in Covington, Kentucky where he practiced personal injury, small business, domestic relations, and criminal defense law. From 2004-2006, Rob served as Vice-Mayor in the City of Covington after finishing first in a field of eight candidates for City Commission.
In 2022 Rob was elected by his fellow Commonwealth’s Attorneys to serve on the Prosecutors Advisory Council (PAC) and re-elected in 2024. Rob previously served on PAC, twice, pursuant to appointments from both Republican and Democrat Governors. Rob was also appointed by the Kentucky Attorney General to the Kentucky Multidisciplinary Commission on Child Sexual Abuse, and the Kentucky Search Warrant Task Force. Rob also serves on the Kentucky Supreme Court’s Judicial Workload Assessment Committee and their Criminal Rules Committee. Rob has served in every elected office in the Kentucky Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association, including President in 2015-2016. He is now co-legislative chairman for the Association. In 2023, the Association honored Rob with their highest honor, the Carroll M. Redford Award naming him “Outstanding Kentucky Prosecutor.” Also in 2023, the Attorney General named Rob’s office “Outstanding Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.” Rob has achieved the Martindale-Hubbell peer review rating of AV-Preeminent, the pinnacle of professional excellence for legal ability and ethics, every year since 2003.
Outside the practice of law, Rob served for twenty years as a volunteer firefighter on the Ft. Mitchell Fire Department where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant before retiring. Rob and his wife live in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky with their daughter. When away from the office, Rob enjoys Cross-fit, hunting, fishing, cooking, and being a girl-dad. He is also an avid fan of the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals.
Judge John Lindsay Tackett was born and raised in Lexington Kentucky. He attended and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1998. He returned to Lexington and worked for the Lexington Fair Housing Council as First Assistant to the Director. Judge Tackett attended and graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2003.
Prior to being elected to the Fayette District Court Bench, Judge Tackett worked for multiple law firms including, Ward, Hocker and Thornton PLLC and Phillips, Parker, Orberson & Arnett PLC. In 2013, Judge Tackett started his own general law practice, John L. Tackett, Attorney at Law PLLC, which he ran until his election to the bench in 2018.
As a District Judge, Tackett serves on the Statewide District Judges Educational Committee, Chairs the Bob Heaton Award Subcommittee and is a ranking member of the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health. Judge Tackett also presides over the nationally recognized Fayette Mental Health Treatment Court.
He has also been publicly engaged throughout his life, working with several non-profits, and serving on several organizational boards including but not limited to The American Red Cross (Bluegrass Region), The Makenna Foundation, Lexington Children’s Theater, and the Foundation for Affordable Housing. He is married to Sarah Merlin, who is employed as a Special Education Teacher at STEAM, and they have a daughter, Stella (age 6).
Rewa Zakharia is the Criminal Chief in the Office of Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman. She oversees the prosecution, investigation, advocacy and training in the Special Prosecutions Division, Medicaid Fraud Division and the Office of Victim Advocacy. She consults and assists prosecutors in complex cases and manages the investigation and prosecution of felony crimes including election law violations, public corruption cases. Rewa provides continuing professional education programs and assists law enforcement officers and other professionals to improve Kentucky’s ability to investigate and prosecute cases.
Prior to this role, Rewa served as the Executive Director of the Special Prosecutions Division where she specialized in prosecuting cases involving child abuse and sexual assault and provided training on special victim cases, investigations and constitutional law. Rewa previously served as a state felony prosecutor in Lexington, Kentucky in the Special Victim’s Unit where she prosecuted homicide, human trafficking, child abuse, sex crimes and violent offenders.
Some of her more notable prosecutions include trying the first labor human trafficking case in Kentucky, a homicide for the killing and dismemberment of a victim, a sexual assault case from 1981, and receiving the first Kentucky conviction in a bestiality case by zealously advocating for Kentucky’s furry friends.
Commonwealth Attorneys Association • 2026 Winter Conference
Chris Allen was raised in central Kentucky and earned his law degree from the University of Louisville. He is licensed to practice law in Kentucky and is a licensed private investigator in Kentucky and Virginia. He holds three master’s degrees in military strategy, military operational art, and security studies. A retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Chris brings more than 22 years of leadership and operational experience, including deployments to Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, and Sub-Saharan Africa. His decorated career included 13 years with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, counterintelligence and counterterrorism operations, and protective details for senior defense leaders. He also spent seven years leading cyberspace operations, including service as a squadron commander. Chris is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Special Investigations Academy and a Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers criminal investigator graduate, earning academic and driver training awards. Before becoming Director of the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center, he served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Jefferson County, worked as a private investigator, and taught counterintelligence at George Mason University. His final military assignment was an instructor at the U.S. Marine Corps Command and Staff College in Quantico, VA. Click here for full bio
Lieutenant Tyson S. Carroll has served with the Lexington Police Department for 15 years, bringing extensive investigative and supervisory experience across specialized units, including Internet Crimes Against Children and Homicide. He currently oversees the Technology Section in the Bureau of Administration and is a recognized expert in cellular device investigations. Lt. Carroll has testified in numerous criminal cases, trained officers at the Lexington Police Academy, and completed advanced national training in digital forensics. He holds a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and is a U.S. Army Reserves and National Guard veteran. Click here for full bio
Blake Chambers has served as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Kentucky’s 38th Judicial Circuit, encompassing Ohio, Butler, and Hancock Counties, since 2017. A career prosecutor since 2011, he previously served as Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney and Assistant Warren County Attorney. He was President of the Commonwealth Attorneys Association from 2023-2024.
Tim Cocanougher currently serves as the Executive Director of the Special Prosecutions Division. He is a career prosecutor having served as an assistant county attorney, assistant Commonwealth Attorney and as the Commonwealth Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Cocanougher served in the military with the United States Marine Corp and Kentucky Army National Guard retiring with the rank of Colonel. Cocanougher attended law school at the University of Louisville. He grew up in Springfield, Kentucky and now resides in Bardstown, Kentucky where he resides with his wife, Ruth Ann. They have two sons, one daughter and seven grandchildren.
Jason Darnall has served as the Marshall County Attorney since his election in 2018. Prior to that, he spent 14 years as an Assistant County Attorney in the same office while also maintaining a private law practice. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and graduated magna cum laude from Salmon P. Chase College of Law. Mr. Darnall lives on a farm in Marshall County with his wife, Jenny, and their animals, and enjoys travel and athletics.
Bio not provided.
Tony Hardin is an investigator with the Kentucky State Police, currently assigned to DESI West Division. He began his career with KSP in April 2010 after graduating from the Academy and was initially assigned to Post 16 in Henderson, Kentucky. After one year, he transferred to Post 4 in Elizabethtown, where he served approximately three years as a Patrol Trooper before being assigned to the General Detective Unit. As a detective, Investigator Hardin worked a wide range of complex criminal investigations, including homicide, sexual abuse cases, financial crimes, and other major felony offenses. In 2015, he was selected for assignment to the Greater Hardin County Narcotics Task Force, where he served for three years as a narcotics investigator and K-9 handler. He later transferred to the DESI West Division, continuing his focus on narcotics enforcement. Investigator Hardin remains assigned to DESI West where he investigates narcotics related cases. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for outstanding service, receiving the Post 4 Detective of the Year Award twice and being named the Kentucky State Police Statewide Detective of the Year in 2024.
Jill Justice is the First Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 38th Judicial Circuit in Ohio, Butler, and Hancock Counties. A career prosecutor, she previously served as First Assistant Warren County Attorney. Jill has taught at the Bowling Green Law Enforcement Academy, the Kentucky Prosecutors Institute, and as an adjunct professor at Western Kentucky University. She lives in Bowling Green with her husband, Shawn, and their three children.
Justice Michelle M. Keller was appointed to the Kentucky Supreme Court in April 2014. She was subsequently elected in both 2014 and 2022 for two full terms on the Court. Prior to her service on the Supreme Court of Kentucky, Justice Keller was elected as a Judge to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2006. Justice Keller has served on the Judicial Conduct Commission, was Chairperson of the Court of Justice’s Technology Governance Committee and is currently Chairperson of the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission and Criminal Rules Committee. Click here for full bio
Jim has served as a prosecutor for over 30 years. He began his prosecutorial career at the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County and then served for over 20 years as an Assistant United States Attorney. After retiring from the US Attorneys Office, Jim returned to the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County. Following his time with Jefferson County, Jim worked with the 9th Judicial Circuit and Special Prosecutions with the Office of the Attorney General. He has trained numerous prosecutors over the years and served as an adjunct professor with the Brandeis School of Law. Jim is the recipient of many awards including the Carroll M. Redford Award for Outstanding Kentucky Prosecutor.
Bryan Luckett was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and began his law enforcement career in 1999 with the Louisville Division of Police. He spent much of his career working street-level plainclothes assignments in Louisville’s urban districts, later founding the LMPD Fugitive Unit and serving in multiple roles on SWAT. He went on to become a supervisor in the Homicide Unit, overseeing complex violent crime investigations. In 2017, Bryan joined the Kentucky State Police, where he served for seven years, including work on Cold Case Homicide investigations that helped solve numerous long-unsolved and high-profile cases. He is currently the Assistant Chief of Police for the University of Louisville, overseeing Operations, including Patrol and Investigations. Bryan is a veteran of the Kentucky Army National Guard and the U.S. Navy Reserve. He is married to Kelly, a former Louisville Metro Police Officer and they have five children.
L. Scott Miller represents police officers across Kentucky and Tennessee in state and federal courts, with a focus on officer-involved shootings and other critical incidents. A former Kentucky State Police trooper and lieutenant colonel, as well as a former Tennessee sheriff’s deputy, he brings more than 20 years of experience defending law enforcement officers and advising agencies on preventative policies and best practices. Scott is uniquely credentialed to represent officers during critical incidents and to defend claims such as malicious prosecution, illegal search and seizure, false arrest, and excessive force. He also provides expert review of police policies and procedures. During his career with the Kentucky State Police, Scott oversaw litigation and represented the agency and its troopers in civil rights and employment matters while earning his law degree. He currently represents Kentucky State Police troopers and serves as a panel counsel for the Kentucky Association of Counties, Kentucky League of Cities, Fraternal Order of Police, Tennessee Local Government Insurance Pool, PLEA, and the Southern States Police Benevolent Association. Click here for full bio
Kathy Phillips is the Kentucky Domestic Violence Resource Prosecutor for the Office of the Attorney General, where she provides training and support to prosecutors and law enforcement to enhance the prosecution of domestic violence cases and protection of victims. She previously served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Fayette County and Director of the Special Victims Unit. Kathy has extensive trial experience, has contributed to statewide policies and manuals on domestic and interpersonal violence, and continues to lead training programs on strangulation-related prosecutions and legislative advocacy. Click here for full bio
Rob Sanders has served as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 16th Judicial Circuit (Kenton County) since 2007, overseeing Kentucky’s third largest felony prosecutor office while maintaining an active caseload. He previously served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in the same office and practiced law at Sanders Law Firm, PAC in Covington. Rob has held leadership roles on the Prosecutors Advisory Council, the Kentucky Multidisciplinary Commission on Child Sexual Abuse, and the Kentucky Supreme Court’s Judicial Workload Assessment Committee and Criminal Rules Committee. In 2023, he was named Outstanding Kentucky Prosecutor and recognized for office excellence. Rob and his wife live in Ft. Mitchell with their daughter. Click here for full bio
Bio not provided.
Elizabeth Smart is a child safety advocate, author, and founder of the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. She works nationally to educate communities, families, and law enforcement on preventing abduction and supporting victims. Ms. Smart has shared her expertise in schools, law enforcement agencies, and conferences across the country.
Judge John Lindsay Tackett was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1998 and returned to Lexington to work with the Lexington Fair Housing Council as first assistant to the director. He earned his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2003. Before his election to the Fayette District Court bench in 2018, Judge Tackett practiced law with several firms including Ward, Hocker, and Thornton PLLC, and Phillips, Parker, Orberson Law PLLC, and later operated his own general practice, John L. Tackett, Attorney at Law, PLLC. As District Judge, Judge Tackett serves on the Statewide District Judges Educational Committee, chaired the Bob Heaton Award Subcommittee, and is a ranking member of the Kentucky Judicial Commission over the nationally recognized Fayette Mental Health Treatment Court. Judge Tackett has long been active in the community, serving on boards for organizations such as the American Red Cross of the Bluegrass Region, Lexington Children’s Theater, and the Foundation for Affordable Housing. He is married to Sarah Merlin, a special education teacher at STEAM and they have one daughter, Stella. Click here for full bio
Jennifer Taylor is a Criminal Intelligence Analyst with the Kentucky Intelligence Fusion Center within the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security. Her work focuses on targeted violence and terrorism prevention, behavioral threat assessment and management, and school safety, including oversight of Kentucky’s anonymous K-12 reporting system, the STOP Tip line. Prior to joining Homeland Security, Jennifer spent 10 years working in the judicial system in both family and criminal courts. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice from the University of Louisville and is currently completing her Ph.D. in criminal justice.
Shane Young is in his third term as Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit. After serving in the United States Navy, Shane returned to Kentucky to attend college and law school. While in law school, Shane was the only applicant for a law clerk position with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Jefferson County, Kentucky. Upon completing law school, he became a prosecutor with the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, eventually serving as Division Chief of the Narcotics Division. During that time, he had the opportunity to learn from some very talented prosecutors including the original odd couple, Dave Stengel and Harry Rothgerber. He left prosecution for private practice, but his desire to return to prosecution led him to run for Commonwealth’s Attorney in Hardin County. During his time in Hardin County, he is proud to have built a team of dedicated prosecutors. Shane has previously served as President for the Commonwealth’s Attorneys Association, as a member of PAC, and currently serves on the Appalachian HIDTA Executive Board. He loves T-shirts, good western Kentucky barbeque, and the outdoors.
Teresa Young grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Cecilia, Kentucky. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and of Brandeis School of Law. She has practiced as a prosecutor for over 20 years. Teresa began her prosecutorial career in the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office handling appeals. Upon leaving, she worked with her husband, Shane, in criminal defense. Since 2013, Teresa has been an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit. She and her husband, Shane, have worked together for the majority of the last 28 years. As a couple who practiced law together for years, she has the unique experience of not getting bored when her spouse talks about work.
Rewa Zakharia is the Criminal Chief in the Office of the Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, overseeing prosecution, investigations, advocacy, and training within the Special Prosecutions Division, and Office of Victim Advocacy. She assists prosecutors statewide in complex cases and manages investigation and prosecutions of felony offenses, including public corruption and election law violations. Rewa previously served as the Executive Director of the Special Prosecutions Division where she specialized in prosecuting cases involving child abuse and sexual assault and provided training on special victim cases, investigations and constitutional law. Rewa previously served as a state felony prosecutor in Lexington’s Special Victims Unit, where she prosecuted homicide, human trafficking, child abuse, sex crimes and violent offenders. Click here for full bio
Note: The charges listed below are solely the defendants’ primary charges
Supreme Court Rule 3.130(3.6)(b)(6) requires the following disclaimer:
“A charge is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.”
Fayette County Commonwealth’s Attorney · 2026–2027
| Trial Date | Defendant | Court # | Charge | Judge | Prosecutors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2026 | Xavier Dominique Walker | 24CR0915 | Murder | Bunnell, 9th | Nik Fegenbush, Kaitlyn Miller |
| Aug 17, 2026 | Brandon Deshawn Dockery | 21CR1081 | Murder | Thomas, 8th | Brad Bryant, Amanda Naish |
| Sep 10, 2026 | Shawnika Lashell Gill | 24CR0759 | Murder | Vanmeter, 3rd | Amanda Naish, Jessica Hutchings |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Jacolby Adjoni Williams | 24CR0003 | Murder | Goodman, 4th | Traci Caneer, Cassandra Hacker |
| Sep 14, 2026 | Shawnika Lashell Gill | 24CR0759 | Murder | Vanmeter, 3rd | Amanda Naish, Jessica Hutchings |
| Sep 29, 2026 | George Ballard | 25CR1111 | Leaving Scene of Accident / Failure to Render Aid with Death or Serious Physical Injury | Bunnell, 9th | Amanda Naish |
| Oct 8, 2026 | Kamron D. Wilson | 22CR0253 | Murder | Vanmeter, 3rd | Amanda Naish, Ann Marie Williams |
| Oct 12, 2026 | Kamron D. Wilson | 22CR0253 | Murder | Vanmeter, 3rd | Amanda Naish, Ann Marie Williams |
| Oct 12, 2026 | Shaurice D. Taylor | 20CR0926 | Manslaughter, Second Degree | Goodman, 4th | Brad Bryant, Ann Marie Williams |
| Dec 7, 2026 | Eric Cobb | 23CR0573 | Manslaughter, Second Degree | Minniefield, 7th | Brad Bryant, Andrew Gillespie |
| Dec 7, 2026 | William Parker Brown | 20CR1056 | Murder | Travis, 8th | Kathryn Holt, Jessica Hutchings |
| Apr 5, 2027 | Steven C. McGaughy | 24CR1045 | Murder | Vanmeter, 3rd | Amanda Naish, Jessica Hutchings |
| Apr 26, 2027 | Jaequan Roberts | 21CR1269 | Murder | Goodman, 4th | Brad Bryant |
| May 3, 2027 | Roberto Carlos Buffill Paredes | 26CR0244 | Murder – Domestic Violence | Travis, 8th | Nik Fegenbush, Cassandra Hacker |
| Jul 12, 2027 | Crescencio Torres Pena | 23CR1143 | Vehicular Homicide While Under the Influence of Alcohol | Goodman, 4th | Jennifer O’Donnell |
Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
The Special Victims Unit (SVU) within the Fayette Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. This unit prosecutes crimes committed against some of Lexington’s most sensitive and vulnerable victims. These are victims whose lives are significantly changed by the nature of the crimes committed against them.
The SVU handles cases involving domestic violence, sexual assaults, human trafficking, serious physical and sexual abuse of children, and physical abuse and neglect of the elderly. The Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys who work in this unit asked for this assignment, and they will receive specialized training for investigating and prosecuting these cases to ensure that offenders are held accountable and that victims are protected, are able to restore safety in their lives, and have a voice in the criminal justice system.