On a late summer evening, the life of 30-year-old LaPorscha Stringer, a female resident of Nicholasville, was tragically cut short. The events that led to her untimely death began to unfold on August 23, 2019, at the Fayette Mall in Lexington, Kentucky. Inside the mall, an altercation occurred between Stringer and another woman, which reportedly was set to continue in the parking lot. Following the dispute, Stringer left the mall and was waiting in her car at a stoplight at a parking lot exit.
While she was on the phone with a friend, a dark-colored vehicle that had been in front of her turned around and re-entered the mall's exit lane.
The vehicle pulled up beside Stringer's car, and multiple shots were fired into her vehicle. Struck by a bullet in the head, her first words were a cry of concern for her three children, asking 'Why?! What about my babies?!'. The shooter's vehicle then fled the scene. Stringer was rushed to the University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries a few days later. At the time of her death, she was a hairdresser who had recently graduated from cosmetology school, with plans to create a better life for her and her children.
For a year, the case remained unsolved, until a break led investigators to 23-year-old Markeeta Campbell. Evidence gathered by the police included video footage from inside the mall showing the confrontation between the two women. A person on the phone with Stringer at the time of the shooting heard her mention the name 'Keets' and describe her driving erratically in the parking lot just before the gunshots. Furthermore, an unnamed witness came forward, telling police that Campbell had confessed to the killing and provided details about the gun she had purchased. This information was corroborated by a local gun store, which confirmed Campbell had bought a 9mm pistol a couple of months before the incident.
On August 31, 2020, Markeeta Campbell was arrested by Lexington police and the U.S. Marshals service and charged with the murder of LaPorscha Stringer. Initially, Campbell's bond was set at $500,000. In March 2023, Campbell pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter. She was facing a potential sentence of up to 13 years in prison for her role in the death of LaPorscha Stringer.
