KY Man Sentenced to 14 Years for '19 Blaze that Killed Grandparents

Nov. 11—An Owensboro man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Thursday in connection with a fire that killed two people on Kipling Drive.

Brandon D. Lashbrook, 29, of the 1000 block of West Parrish Avenue pleaded guilty but mentally ill in August to two counts of second-degree manslaughter in the deaths of Shelby Lashbrook, 82, and David Lashbrook, 77, in a Dec. 29, 2019 house fire on Kipling Drive.

The fire was reported shortly after 1 a.m. at the home. The fire reached into the attic, but was contained to the back portion of the house. Firefighters had to rescue David and Shelby Lashbrook from the home.

David Lashbrook died of his injuries later on Dec. 29, and Shelby Lashbrook died Jan. 4, 2020. Brandon Lashbrook is the grandson of David and Shelby Lashbrook.

Court records say, when Lashbrook was interviewed by detectives, he said the fire was caused by a cigarette that lit a pillow on fire in his room. Records say Lashbrook told another OPD officer the fire was intentional.

Lashbrook was charged with manslaughter for being "wantonly indifferent" to the value of human life, for not warning the couple of the fire. Court records say Lashbrook was diagnosed with several mental disorders, including schizophrenia. Lashbrook was initially judged mentally incompetent, but achieved competency through treatment and was ruled capable of standing trial.

Second-degree manslaughter is a class C felony. The plea agreement calls for Lashbrook to serve a seven-year sentence on each of the manslaughter charges, with the sentences to run consecutively for 14 years.

Commonwealth's Attorney Bruce Kuegel said being judged guilty but mentally ill will not affect the length of Lashbrook's sentence.

"We never charged him with arson," Kuegel said. "I felt it didn't meet the statute."

Kuegel said he consulted with the victims' family members on the plea agreement. The sentence is "appropriate under the circumstances," Kuegel said.

Lashbrook is being held in the Daviess County Detention Center pending transfer to the Department of Corrections.

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