FRANKFORT, KY – Attorney General Daniel Cameron announced Friday that action by his Special Prosecutions Unit resulted in a guilty plea of Brent Dyer Kelty, 32, of Fayette County, for manslaughter of a four-month-old infant.
On Thursday, February 23, 2023, following a joint criminal mediation with Attorney General Cameron's Special Prosecutions Unit and Commonwealth's Attorney Kimberly Baird's office, Kelty entered the guilty plea.
Brent Dyer Kelty pleaded guilty to:
- One count of Manslaughter, First Degree (Class B Felony)
- One count of Trafficking in a Controlled Substance First Degree (Class C Felony)
- One count of Persistent Felony Offender, Second Degree
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Regarding the four-month-old infant's death: According to a 2021 indictment from a Fayette County Grand Jury, Kelty committed the offense when he inflicted abusive head trauma on the infant, causing the infant's death. The indictment also notes that Kelty was previously convicted on numerous other felony offenses including theft, forgery, and burglary.
Fayette County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Travis sentenced Kelty to 25 years in prison, 16 years for the charges to which he pled guilty and an additional nine years for probation violations.
The Lexington Police Department investigated the case. Executive Director of the Special Prosecutions Unit Rewa Zakharia and Assistant Attorney General Tim Cocanougher jointly mediated the case along with Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Amanda Morgan.
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