Man convicted in a Lexington father’s death gets prison sentence, plus other court updates

Court cases stemming from several deadly incidents in and around Central Kentucky have ended with guilty pleas this month, while defendants in other major criminal cases have received their prison sentences.

December’s court developments include a man sentenced to prison time for the deadly shooting of a father in 2021, plus progress in the case of a teenager involved in a 2022 homicide that left a 26-year-old dead.

Here are some updates for court cases covered by the Herald-Leader.

Lexington man charged with murder of a father sentenced

A Lexington murder suspect arrested in June 2022 in connection to a 2021 killing on Main Street was sentenced to 20 years in prison this month.

Robert Michael Okorley, a 41-year-old Lexington man, pleaded guilty to amended charges of second-degree manslaughter, first-degree wanton endangerment, being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and second-degree assault in November. He was sentenced by Fayette Circuit Judge Lucy VanMeter on Dec. 14.

He originally faced charges of murder, two counts of attempted murder, being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun, assault and criminal mischief.

The murder charge was reduced and an additional charge of attempted murder and criminal mischief were dismissed. Okorley was ordered to pay $2,592 in restitution.

Okorley was arrested seven months after 32-year-old Jesse Jimenez was fatally wounded and another person was injured in the shooting on Nov. 5, 2021.

The shooting stemmed from a physical altercation between Okorley and another person, according to court documents. After the altercation ended, Okorley pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot the man, ultimately hitting and killing Jimenez, records say.

During his sentencing proceedings, Jimenez’s 11-year-old daughter gave a victim impact statement where she remembered her dad as a good listener, comforter and provider.

“All I see now is the image of his grave,” the daughter said. “I never thought I would have to go to a cemetery just to see my dad. I didn’t get enough time with him, and it wasn’t his time.”

The mothers of Jimenez’s children also spoke at the sentencing hearing. Okorley did not offer a statement and was silently remanded to custody.

Teen pleads guilty in deadly Lexington shooting

A teen accused of shooting and killing a man in September 2022 pleaded guilty to charges related to the death of 26-year-old Juan Mondono-Fonesca as a result of a domestic incident.

Fredy Mendoza, 18, pleaded guilty Dec. 4 to second-degree manslaughter and possession of a handgun of a minor, according to court documents.

On Sept. 2, 2022, officers with the Lexington Police Department were called to the 2200 block of Devonport Drive, near the intersection of Alexandria Drive and Versailles Road where they located Fonesca suffering a gunshot wound. He later died at a local hospital, police said.

Mendoza was a juvenile at the time of the shooting, and was indicted on both charges in April 2023, according to court documents. It was the third time he was charged with possessing a handgun as a minor. He had prior convictions on that offense in January 2020 and December 2021, according to court documents.

He faces 10 years in prison for the manslaughter charge, and one year for possessing a gun as a minor. Restitution will be determined at sentencing, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Feb. 1.

1 of 2 suspects sentenced for woman’s death

One co-defendant arrested in connection with the death of a 56-year-old woman in Lexington’s Masterson Station has been sentenced to 26 years in prison, according to court documents.

Dalton Clay Carpenter, a 22-year-old Paris resident, pleaded guilty to murder, tampering with physical evidence, theft by unlawful taking and fraudulent use of a credit card in November.

Carpenter and former girlfriend Jessica Hoskins were charged in the death of Sabel Jallow, who was found in her Majestic View Walk home in September 2020, according to Lexington police.

Hoskins, also 22, was charged with vehicle theft. Her case is still pending, according to court records. Investigators believe Hoskins and Carpenter were in a fight with Jallow when Carpenter caused “traumatic injuries” to Jallow, killing her, according to the Lexington Police Department. Jallow was Hoskins’ contracted guardian, according to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Hoskins has a status hearing scheduled for Jan. 26, according to court documents.

In addition to his prison sentence, Carpenter is ordered to pay $12,243 in restitution.

Man charged with federal crimes of selling sake IDs sentenced

A man convicted of selling fake Social Security cards in Central Kentucky will serve three years in prison after he was sentenced earlier this month.

Tomas Leal-Paez was convicted on charges of possession of a counterfeit permanent resident card and a counterfeit Social Security card. A sentence of three years was imposed for each charge, but they were ordered to run concurrently, meaning at the same time. He was sentenced on Dec. 11.

He pleaded guilty in federal court in September.

Leal-Paez was formerly indicted on four counts of the same charges in June. Leal-Paez sold fake IDs, fake drivers’ licenses and “green cards” to “undocumented immigrants, primarily from Mexico,” according to an affidavit filed into court records.

His plea agreement references two transactions in Madison and Fayette counties where Leal-Paez sold permanent resident cards and Social Security cards to confidential informants in January and April.

Federal investigators had tracked Leal-Paez since 2019 after they arrested his family member for using the fake documents to obtain employment. Some identification cards were purchased in 2016 — three years before the investigation began, according to court documents.

Over the course of four years, the FBI used the family member to text, call and set up meetings to exchange documents for money with Leal-Paez, whose true identity was unknown to investigators at the time.