In the early hours of January 3, 2016, the life of 28-year-old Corenz Marquis 'Corey' White was tragically cut short in Lexington, Kentucky. A Black / African American male, White was found collapsed at the University Trails apartments on Red Mile Road, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound to the chest. Though he did not reside at the apartment complex, the events that transpired there in the late hours of January 2nd would prove fatal.
The individual responsible for the shooting was
identified as 25-year-old Donald Owen Roark Jr., who was known to be a friend of White's. In the aftermath of a party, a confrontation arose between the two, culminating in Roark shooting White. In a harrowing detail captured by an apartment security guard's body camera, Roark was seen dragging White's body through the apartment complex shortly after the shooting. Approximately 13 hours after the discovery of White's body, Roark was arrested and charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence.
During his arraignment, a plea of not guilty was entered on Roark's behalf. The case proceeded to a three-day trial where Roark was ultimately convicted of a lesser charge, second-degree manslaughter. The jury recommended the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for the offense. The verdict was a source of anguish for White's family, with his mother, Michelle Schooler, expressing the profound loss of her son and the tragic consequences of young men 'playing around with guns.' She lamented that in such a situation, there are no winners, as one family buries a child while another loses a son to incarceration.
