More information has become available on a double murder in Morehead allegedly committed by a former resident of Grayson County.
The suspect, 44-year-old Joshua W. Cottrell, was arrested by Kentucky State Police several hours later in a Paducah area emergency room. He was charged with two counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence and lodged in the McCracken County Detention Center.
Cottrell, according to a report by WKYT.com, was in a relationship with Blake. The Lexington television station added that the two victims were stabbed to death.
Kennedi was popular softball player and her longtime coach, Wes Coldiron, spoke to WKYT.com about one of his favorite players.
“You know, you lose such a bright, shiny star in this world, and you immediately go to why. Then after you deal with that, it’s what am I gonna tell my daughter and these other girls in the community that were her teammates? How do you explain that to a thirteen-year-old child?
“It was beautiful the other night at her vigil. You look around and see 300 people standing around there, at the relationships she made with people and the people she impacted, it’s more than just softball. It’s a family.”
Blake, according to her obituary, committed her life to helping others as an RN at Addiction Recovery Institute of America.
Cottrell’s Grayson Co. connection
According to online records, Cottrell was listed as a Caneyville resident by the McCracken County Detention Center in a September 2023 arrest for public intoxication. His street address was Frank Smith Road, just east of Caneyville off Beaver Dam Road (Hwy 62).
Cottrell, who was 21 at the time and lived in Leitchfield, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter in the 2003 killing of 36-year-old Richie Phillips at a motel in Elizabethtown. Phillips’ body was found stuffed in a suitcase by fishermen in Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, according to media reports from 2003.
Cottrell, who was also found guilty of theft by unlawful taking and tampering with physical evidence, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released in 2019.
(Photo l-r: Kennedi G. McWhorter, Kayla D. Blake, courtesy of Malone Funeral Home)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
