Two men were sentenced in February in separate homicide cases as proceedings continued in Fayette Circuit Court.
15-Year Sentence in August 2022 Shooting
Sean Eschol Smith, 56, was sentenced Feb. 23 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to amended charges of manslaughter and wanton endangerment.
Smith was charged in the August 2022 shooting death of 44-year-old James Allen Palmaiter near the 1800 block of Augusta Drive in Lexington. Witnesses told investigators they saw Smith shoot James Allen Palmaiter, according to court documents.
Months before sentencing, Smith asked Diane Minnifield to withdraw his guilty plea, arguing it was not entered voluntarily. Minnifield denied the request, and the sentence was imposed.
10-Year Sentence After Jury Conviction
In a separate case, Scott Lawless, 34, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him in January of second-degree manslaughter in the 2023 death of Kevin Van Huddleston Reel.
Lawless had originally faced a murder charge. On Feb. 26, Thomas Travis imposed the sentence.
Defense attorneys argued during trial that Lawless was attempting to de-escalate a confrontation between Reel and a friend outside a bar parking lot near North Limestone and North Upper Street in downtown Lexington. They described the shooting as a “tragic accident,” saying the gun discharged during a struggle.
Prosecutors presented police body camera footage in which Lawless stated he “put one in (Reel’s) belly” after Reel allegedly threatened his friend and fought over a .357 revolver Lawless had drawn.
Reel later died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Both cases mark the latest developments in homicide prosecutions moving through Fayette County courts.