KY man arrested charged with the double murder of his girlfriend, her daughter

Kentucky State Police arrested Joshua Cottrell hours after finding his girlfriend and her daughter dead in their home.

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Kentucky State Police are investigating a double homicide, while the tight-knit community of Rowan County mourns the loss of a mother and daughter.

37-year-old Kayla Blake and her 13-year-old daughter Kennedi McWhorter have been identified as the victims in the case.

What we know about the victims

According to her obituary, Kayla was a registered nurse at the Addiction Recovery Institute of America, where "her compassion and commitment made a profound impact on the lives of her patients." She is remembered for her big heart.

Her daughter, Kennedi is being remembered as a talented academic and passionate athlete. "Her love for softball shone through in her performances on both her school and travel teams, where she thrived on the competition and cherished the friendships she built with her teammates", according to her obituary.

Kennedi attended Rowan County Middle School, which has been rocked by the news of her passing. Earlier this week the school, and other area school wore purple in honor of Kennedi's memory.

The police investigation

The investigation started when the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check on Friday morning at a home in Morehead, according to Kentucky State Police. When they got there, deputies found two victims deceased in the home.

Kentucky State Police troopers then got involved and determined 44-year-old Joshua Cottrell was the suspect in the double homicide. He was found about four hours later at a hospital near Paducah and after being treated, he was arrested and charged in the case.

Cottrell is currently being held in the McCracken County Jail.

A criminal history

This isn't Cottrell's first murder charge. He was convicted of manslaughter in 2003, after police say he killed a 36-year-old man, stuffed his body in a suitcase and then dumped the suitcase in Rough River Lake.

More than a week after the victim in that case, Richie Phelps, was reported missing, a fisherman found the suitcase with his body inside.

Cottrell was initially charged with murder, but he was convicted of manslaughter, sentenced to 20 years in prison and was parole-eligible just two years later.

Today- Cottrell is charged with two counts of murder and tampering with physical evidence.

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