A man was charged this week in connection to the shooting death of a man in Covington in August.
Zachary Ron Holden, 20, was charged with murder and first degree robbery for his alleged role in the August 18 slaying of Virgil Stewart near the 15th Street Bridge in Covington.
Holden was already in jail in Boone Co. facing a separate robbery charge after being arrested by Florence Police on August 31.
Latoya Dale, 31, of Florence, was charged similarly last week. Both Dale and Holden are being held on $1 million bonds.
According to the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, conviction on a murder charge carries a possible punishment of 20 to 50 years, or life in prison. First degree robbery convictions have punishments of ten to twenty years in prison. Murder committed during a robbery is eligible for enhanced punishments including life without parole for 25 years, life without parole, or the death penalty.
The commonwealth’s attorney office said that no decision had been made yet on whether to seek an enhanced punishment.
At least 85% of those sentences would have to be served before being eligible for parole.
Stewart was killed while walking home from his job at the Family Dollar store on Madison Avenue.
“Violent and senseless killings of completely innocent victims cannot be tolerated if we want to continue enjoying a safe community,” Kenton Co. Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said. He said that the suspects have no known connection to Stewart. “No one should be afraid to walk home from work. This is the kind of crime making some big cities unlivable these days and we’re not going to let Kenton County go down the same path.”
Holden remains in the Boone County Detention Center. Arraignment on his Kenton County charges has not been scheduled yet. Holden’s Boone County charges are pending before the Boone County Grand Jury.
Dale remains in the Kenton County Detention Center. Dale waived her preliminary hearing and her case was bound over to the Kenton County Grand Jury on September 22.
The Commonwealth is required to present her case to the Kenton County Grand Jury within 60 days.
Sanders applauded the work of the Covington Police Department in the case.
“They started with less to go on than any murder case I’ve seen in a long time,” said Sanders. “The tenacity of their detectives, especially Detectives Adam Uhl and Brian Powers, is really impressive.
“Fortunately, major cases like this aren’t as recurring as they once were in Covington, but it’s good to know they’re treated with the same degree of professionalism and zeal.”
