Four men charged in connection with the 2016 death of Olympian Tyson Gay's daughter Trinity Gay have been found guilty of multiple charges, including wanton murder, by a jury on Monday.
According to the Lexington Herald Leader, a jury found Chazerae Taylor guilty of wanton murder and four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment. His son, D'Markeo Taylor, was found guilty of first-degree wanton endangerment.
D'Vonta Middlebrooks was found guilty on one count of wanton endangerment; but not guilty on five other counts of wanton endangerment. Lamonte Williams was found guilty on five counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
Trinity Gay, 15, a budding track star for Lafayette High School was shot in the lower neck during an exchange of gunfire outside a restaurant on October 16, 2016. She was an innocent bystander to the incident.
Although 25 witnesses testified at the trial and 135 pieces of evidence were obtained, including Trinity's DNA on a .45 caliber bullet recovered at the scene, police were unable to find a matching gun and prosecutors were unable to definitively say who killed Trinity according to Taylor's public defender.
However, Assistant Commonwealth's Prosecuting Attorney Brad Bryant told the jury that Taylor started a chain reaction of shooting that led to Trinity's wounding and death, and argued that Trinity's death was "avoidable," and "never had to happen."
Tyson Gay said he and his family were happy with the verdicts.
"I just hope something positive comes out of this situation," Tyson Gay said. "I really believe our prosecutors did a great job."
Gay added that the last two years "have been rough for my entire family. ...I'm just glad it's over. I'm proud that my daughter got some justice."
Sentencing is set to begin today. Wanton murder in Kentucky is punishable by 20 years to life. Each count of first-degree wanton endangerment is punishable by one to five years in prison.
