In the early morning hours of August 17, 2017, an altercation between two acquaintances in the Imperial Estates mobile home park on West Loudon Avenue in Lexington, Kentucky, ended in tragedy. Adan Perez Mejia, a 25-year-old male, was shot in the face around 5:30 a.m. Following the shooting, a friend whisked him away from the scene, leaving behind a significant amount of blood and tissue that would later be discovered by responding officers.
The investigation quickly led police to
identify a suspect, 41-year-old David K. Trent, based on witness accounts. While law enforcement began their search for Trent, the body of Adan Perez Mejia was discovered later that afternoon inside a parked car on Wickland Drive. A warrant for Trent's arrest on the charge of murder was promptly issued.
The manhunt for David K. Trent concluded the following week when police received a tip that he was in the Costigan Drive area. In an attempt to evade capture, Trent tried to flee on a motorcycle but his escape was thwarted when he struck a police cruiser. He was taken into custody without further incident. Investigators stated that Trent and Mejia were acquaintances who had been involved in a dispute.
David Trent was initially charged with murder, evidence tampering, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and being a persistent felony offender. However, in August 2020, he accepted a plea deal. Trent pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree persistent felony offender. The charges of tampering with evidence and firearm possession were dismissed as part of the agreement. In October 2020, a judge sentenced him to 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay $4,800 in restitution for Mejia's funeral expenses. During the virtual court appearance, Trent took responsibility for his actions, stating, 'I'm ready to get this behind me and start a new life.' His defense attorney suggested they had considered a self-defense argument for trial.
