A Kentucky man who served two decades in prison for killing someone in 2003 was arrested on Friday for murdering his girlfriend and her 13-year-old daughter.
Kayla Blake, 37, and her daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, were found dead on Friday after Blake’s co-worker requested a welfare check from Rowan County police. Suspect Joshua Cottrell, 44, is believed to have stabbed and bludgeoned Blake and stabbed her daughter before fleeing the residence, according to WLEX.
Cottrell and Blake were reportedly in a relationship and lived together. Neighbors reportedly last spotted Cottrell at the home a day before the bodies were found.
Cottrell is believed to have moved Blake’s and McWhorter’s bodies. WLEX reported that officers discovered Blake in a back bedroom, while her daughter was located across the hall.
The same day, officers found Cottrell at a hospital five miles away. They noted he had blood on his clothes. Cottrell was released from the hospital, only to be arrested for Blake and McWhorter’s slayings.
According to WLKY, Cottrell was convicted of the 2003 killing of Richie Phillips in a Hardin County motel room. After the slaying, Cottrell stashed Phillips’ body in a suitcase and dumped it. Eight days after his reported disappearance, a fisherman discovered Phillips’ body in Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County.
Cottrell, then 21, reportedly admitted to killing Phillips, claiming Phillips made unwanted sexual advances toward him. Though prosecutors sought the death penalty, a jury convicted him of second–degree manslaughter, and he received the maximum sentence of 20 years.
Kentucky Justice & Public Safety Cabinet officials told WAVE that Cottrell was released from prison in 2019, and he completed his Mandatory Reentry Supervision nearly eight months later.
In the latest case, Cottrell is charged with murder and tampering with physical evidence. He remains jailed on $1 million bond.
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[Feature Photo: McCracken County Jail]
