THE APEX TIMES
Stewart Watson pleads guilty in 2023 Lexington shooting case; murder charge reduced
The Lexington defendant, originally charged with first-degree murder, entered a guilty plea in 2026 after prosecutors agreed to reduce the charge to first-degree manslaughter and dismiss a robbery count as part of a plea agreement, according to WKYT.
A man charged in connection with a 2023 shooting death in Lexington entered a guilty plea in 2026, with a plea agreement changing the legal outcome from an original first-degree murder charge to first-degree manslaughter, WKYT reported on July 29.
WKYT said the defendant, Stewart Watson, was originally charged with first-degree murder and a separate robbery count tied to the case involving the shooting death of Michael Stinnett. Under the terms of the negotiated agreement, the murder charge was reduced to first-degree manslaughter.
The reporting also said the plea agreement included dismissal of the robbery charge. The change means the case would proceed under the remaining manslaughter charge rather than the original homicide classification prosecutors first pursued.
Publicly charged and negotiated plea agreements can significantly affect the range of penalties and how a criminal case is resolved, particularly when the underlying allegations involve violent conduct and the circumstances surrounding a death. In this case, the reduction from murder to manslaughter reflects that prosecutors and the defense agreed on different prosecutorial targets for the resolution of Watson’s criminal exposure, the WKYT report indicated.
The shooting case has been pending since Watson’s original charges were filed in 2023. By pleading guilty in 2026, Watson avoided the need for a trial on the original first-degree murder charge and the robbery count, with the remaining matter proceeding under the altered charge.
As the case moves forward after a guilty plea, the next procedural step typically involves the court handling sentencing and other matters related to the conviction. WKYT’s report focused on the plea and the charge changes included in the agreement; details about any sentence length or specific court findings were not included in the information provided.
The outcome also affects how the case is formally recorded in court, including the conviction level tied to the defendant’s plea. For the family of the victim and the broader Lexington community, the plea’s charge reduction changes the legal description of the offense for which the defendant will be held criminally responsible.
Why It Matters
- Charge reductions in violent death cases can alter the legal classification of the offense and the framework used for sentencing and accountability.
- Dismissal of a related robbery count eliminates one theory of criminal conduct from the final case record.
- For families and the public, plea outcomes can change how the case is understood in court records compared with the allegations in the original filing.
- The decision to plead guilty can also affect whether the dispute would have been resolved through trial testimony and jury findings rather than a negotiated outcome.
Key Facts
- WKYT reported that Stewart Watson pleaded guilty in a 2023 Lexington murder-related case.
- Watson was originally charged with first-degree murder and a robbery charge in connection with the shooting death of Michael Stinnett.
- As part of a plea deal, the first-degree murder charge was changed to first-degree manslaughter.
- The plea agreement included dismissal of the robbery charge.
- The guilty plea was reported by WKYT on July 29, 2026.