In the early morning hours of April 9, 2019, the life of 22-year-old Lauryn T. Kinne, a female resident of Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, was tragically cut short. Kinne, who was in her third trimester of pregnancy, was at a home on Saffell Street when a home invasion turned violent. Lawrenceburg police responded to a call about a shooting at the residence around 5:30 a.m.
and discovered two victims with gunshot wounds.
Both Kinne and a male victim were transported to Frankfort Regional Medical Center for their injuries. While the man's injuries were not life-threatening, Kinne had been struck in the chest and later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital. Tragically, her unborn child also did not survive. The investigation, led by the Kentucky State Police, quickly shifted from a shooting inquiry to a homicide investigation.
The events that led to Kinne's death began as a robbery. According to investigators, men entered the residence demanding valuables. During the commission of the crime, one of the intruders, later identified as Derrick J. Morris, allegedly used a firearm to repeatedly strike the male victim. At some point during this assault, the gun discharged, and the bullet struck Kinne.
Within a short period, law enforcement made several arrests in connection with the fatal home invasion. Derrick J. Morris, 33, of Frankfort, was charged with murder and first-degree robbery. Another man, 20-year-old Johnathan T. Harley of Lawrenceburg, was also arrested and charged with first-degree robbery after admitting his involvement in planning and carrying out the robbery. The investigation continued, leading to the arrests of two more suspects, Robert J. Jones, 20, and Austin Chilton, 19, both of Frankfort, who were also charged with first-degree robbery.
Ultimately, an Anderson County Grand Jury returned indictments against all four men on multiple charges. Derrick Morris, Austin Chilton, Jonathan Harley, and Robert Jones were all indicted on charges of complicity to murder, complicity to first-degree fetal homicide, complicity to first-degree robbery, and complicity to first-degree burglary. Morris, Chilton, and Harley also faced charges of tampering with physical evidence, and Morris was additionally charged with first-degree assault.
