Hardin County, Ky. (November 1, 2019) - Shawn Welsh was convicted Monday afternoon October 28, 2019 of two counts of murder and two counts of first-degree assault from the October 2018 deaths of two teens in a car accident. A recommendation of four life sentences was issued Monday afternoon in Hardin Circuit Court.
Welsh, 37, of West Virginia, crashed a vehicle into a car with four teens in it, killing Jacob Barber, 18, and Katarina Peeters, 17, both of Elizabethtown, as he led police on a 21-mile, 18-minute chase on Oct. 20, 2018.
He was sentenced an additional 43 years on other charges such as:
- Possession of Methamphetamine
- First-degree fleeing or evading police in a motor vehicle
- Theft by unlawful taking
All of the convictions were enhanced a felony level given Welsh's criminal history that includes multiple prior felony convictions.
The investigation was lead by Post 4, Elizabethtown and the KSP Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT). Welsh's final sentencing will be December 10, 2019.
