LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) - One of two men indicted in the beating death of a University of Kentucky chef has pleaded guilty.
The Lexington Herald-Leader (https://bit.ly/25R0tXl ) reports Timothy Ballard pleaded guilty Friday to kidnapping and tampering with evidence.
Ballard and Robert Markham Taylor were indicted in the death of Alex Johnson.
Ballard told Lexington police he saw Taylor beat Johnson to death on Dec. 20, 2013, the day Johnson disappeared. Johnson’s body was found in January 2014 inside a barrel in four feet of water in the Kentucky River. Johnson was a chef at UK’s Hilary J. Boone Center.
Under a plea agreement, prosecutors recommended a 20-year sentence on the kidnapping and a five-year sentence on the tampering charge. Sentencing is scheduled for July 1.
Taylor is scheduled to stand trial starting June 6.
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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, https://www.kentucky.com
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