In a tragic turn of events on November 22, 2015, 18-year-old Jamaal Tre Gossett, a Black male, was killed in Lexington, Kentucky. A recent graduate of Bryan Station High School, Gossett was discovered with a fatal gunshot wound inside an SUV at the intersection of Kent Drive and Cabot Drive.
The incident unfolded after Gossett had arranged to meet an individual to sell a small quantity of marijuana.
Accompanied by a witness, Gossett waited in his vehicle at the agreed-upon location when two men entered the backseat. Shortly after, the two men produced handguns and demanded the marijuana and money from Gossett. During the robbery, one of the assailants fired his weapon, striking and killing Gossett.
An investigation led Lexington police to identify 22-year-old Terry Lavaughn Farrell as the primary suspect. Detectives determined that the phone used to arrange the meeting with Gossett was registered to Farrell, and cell phone records placed him in the immediate vicinity at the time of the shooting. Farrell was subsequently arrested and charged with murder and first-degree robbery.
In June 2019, to avoid a potential death penalty, Terry Lavaughn Farrell Jr., then 25, pleaded guilty to amended charges of first-degree manslaughter and second-degree robbery. As part of the plea agreement, a sentence of 12 years for manslaughter and 10 years for robbery was recommended.
