On a tragic Wednesday afternoon in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the life of 65-year-old Betty Lasley was cut short. On January 3, 2018, deputies from the Warren County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to her residence on Shaker Mill Bend Road around 4:20 p.m. following a report of a domestic violence shooting.
Upon their arrival, they discovered Betty Lasley deceased inside her home, having suffered from multiple gunshot wounds.
The suspect, her 72-year-old husband, Ernest 'Mac' Lasley, was found at the scene and taken into custody without incident. He was subsequently charged with the domestic violence murder of his wife and lodged in the Warren County Regional Jail.
The investigation that followed brought to light a history of domestic issues. Court records revealed that Ernest Lasley had a prior conviction for domestic assault against his wife in 2011, indicating a pattern of violence that culminated in this fatal encounter. In May of 2019, Ernest Lasley pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. His age and declining health were taken into consideration during the legal proceedings. The Commonwealth's Attorney for Warren County recommended a sentence of 10 years, with the stipulation that he serve at least 85 percent of his term before being eligible for parole.
