In the early hours of April 30, 2024, the stillness of a Lexington, Kentucky, neighborhood was broken by a grim discovery. A police officer on patrol happened upon a vehicle stopped in the intersection of Shropshire Avenue and East Third Street, near the Charles Young Park and Center. Inside, 37-year-old Devin Chenault, a Black male, was found deceased from what was later determined to be a gunshot wound.
He was officially pronounced dead at the scene at 1:18 a.m.
Initially treated as a death investigation, the case was quickly reclassified as a homicide as more details emerged. Investigators soon determined that the shooting had not occurred where Chenault's body was found, but rather at a residence in the 1800 block of Liberty Road. It was there that the events leading to Chenault's death unfolded. According to police reports, a man named Jerrico Roberts, 36, entered the home and a confrontation ensued. During a struggle for a firearm between Roberts and Chenault, a woman present was struck in the face.
Following the shooting, the injured woman drove Chenault from the scene in his truck, eventually leaving the vehicle at the intersection where it was later discovered by the police. Later that same day, authorities located and arrested Jerrico Roberts. He was charged with murder, second-degree assault for the injury to the woman, tampering with physical evidence, and possession of a handgun by a convicted felon. Investigators reported that Roberts was seen disposing of a bag of clothing in a dumpster at a local fast-food restaurant. In addition to the charges related to Chenault's death, Roberts was also arrested on outstanding warrants.
