COVINGTON, Ky. – A 32-year-old woman, Latoya Dale, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her involvement in the robbery and killing of 60-year-old Virgil Stewart in Covington on the night of August 18, 2022. Stewart was walking home from work when he was fatally shot during a robbery that netted the perpetrators a mere $6.
Following the incident, the robbers, including Dale, were convicted and sentenced for their roles in the fatal robbery. Prosecutors revealed that Dale’s cooperation with the investigation led to the arrest and conviction of the shooter, Zachary Holden Jr. and his accomplice Brooke Shepard, who assisted Dale and Holden in their robbery scheme. Holden was sentenced to life in prison, while Shepard received a 10-year sentence for her involvement.
Investigative efforts unveiled surveillance footage showing the abductors fleeing the scene in a 2005 Ford Expedition registered to Shepard. Further investigation led to Dale’s identification as the driver of the vehicle that night.
Dale confessed to her role in the scheme and her cooperation with prosecutors led to a reduction in her charges from murder to facilitation of murder. She admitted to planning to rob drug dealers and using social media to lure them into face-to-face meetings with the intention of robbing them.
During her guilty plea hearing, Dale disclosed that she was unaware that Holden, who was carrying out the robbery, was armed with a gun that night. The tragic outcome of the robbery left Stewart, who was battling cancer and still supporting his family, senselessly killed.
This case serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of criminal activities and the importance of cooperation in solving such cases.