Tashaun Adams and Selena Farrell have been found guilty of reckless homicide and child abandonment after their 3-year-old son fatally shot his 2-year-old brother with an unsecured gun. The incident occurred in their Covington apartment in January 2024. Jurors recommended prison sentences following a weeklong trial.
In Covington, Kentucky, Tashaun Adams, 23, and Selena Farrell, 25, were convicted Friday of reckless homicide in the death of their son Khalil Adams. The Kenton County jury also found them guilty of abandoning a child. The shooting happened on a January afternoon in 2024 when the parents were asleep and left their young children unsupervised in their bedroom, according to authorities. The 3-year-old accessed a loaded handgun stored in a dresser drawer and fired it, striking his brother, who was pronounced dead at a hospital. The child later told police, 'Daddy's gun is in the drawer.' Adams testified that he woke to a gunshot, rushed to the room, and found Khalil unresponsive on the floor with closed eyes. 'I blame myself for it every day,' Adams said. Farrell fled the scene and was arrested days later at a hotel, where she told officers she anticipated Khalil's death and planned to attend his funeral. Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders emphasized during closing arguments that the death stemmed from parental choices, not an unavoidable accident. 'This shooting death was caused by the fact that two adults left a loaded handgun... within reach of a 3-year-old child that they did not supervise,' Sanders stated. Prosecutors noted prior warnings: about two years earlier, police found the same gun unsecured in the bedroom, and months later, child welfare officials discovered another accessible firearm. Adams had signed a prevention plan promising a safe environment with proper supervision. Jurors recommended five years for Adams and seven for Farrell, with sentencing pending.