Less than a month before she was to stand in a joined trial with Jonathan McCoy, Keisha Stewart has pleaded guilty to amended charges associated with the 2020 murder of Trigg County’s Thelma “Ileen” Barnett, and the subsequent arson of her Will Jackson Road home.
She signed a plea agreement this past Wednesday, under advisement from her counsel, Katy Riley.
Stewart was originally charged with complicity to arson second degree, complicity to abuse of a corpse, complicity to tampering with physical evidence and complicity to burglary second degree — where, if found guilty by a jury, could have resulted in a maximum of 20 years concurrently, or 40 years consecutively, depending on the Commonwealth’s recommendation.
Instead, Stewart’s amended charges include complicity to facilitation of arson second degree, complicity to facilitation on abuse of a corpse, complicity to facilitation of tampering with physical evidence, and complicity to facilitation of burglary second degree, where the Commonwealth has recommended she serve five years concurrently. Any further recommendations on probation or shock probation will come after review of the presentence investigation.
Stewart’s plea of guilt is also conditional upon her provisions of a truthful, recorded statement to law enforcement, as well as her full cooperation with prosecution, in what will need to be truthful testimony in the February trial of Commonwealth vs. McCoy.
Her sentencing has been set after the resolution of McCoy’s case, and Stewart has agreed to remain in custody until the sentencing.
Should she balk on these terms, the Commonwealth can, and likely will, revoke the offer — one where the Commonwealth has also agreed to offer two years concurrent, plus restitution, on other related criminal charges.
With this plea, Stewart has also been severed from the McCoy trial, which is still scheduled to begin February 13 in Trigg County.
She was 28 years old on September 16, 2020, the day of Barnett’s murder.
