Background: Jeremy Thompson (WAVE). Inset: Kierrea Stone-Gonzalez (Tribute Archive).
Jurors in Kentucky have concluded that a man should be sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of his girlfriend and for leaving her 2-year-old child alone with her deceased body for four days.
The man in question, Jeremy Thompson, aged 30, was found guilty last week of both murder and possession of a handgun by a previously convicted felon in connection with the 2022 death of Kierrea Stone-Gonzalez in Louisville. The jury’s recommendation is for Thompson to serve 35 years for the murder charge and an additional five years for the handgun possession charge, with both sentences to be served concurrently. Parole eligibility would require a minimum of 20 years served. Thompson’s formal sentencing by a judge is set for July 2.
Additional coverage from Law&Crime: ‘He earned it’: Man killed wife after she tried to end marriage, staged scene to look like a suicide, got daughter to find the body
According to a press release from the Jefferson County Commonwealth’s Attorney, Thompson shot the 23-year-old Stone-Gonzalez in the back of the head on or about Sept. 17, 2022, and left her 2-year-old daughter alone in the apartment. It wasn’t until four days later that authorities discovered her body.
A subsequent investigation showed Thompson left behind a trail of evidence. Before he killed her, the defendant threatened Stone-Gonzalez over Facebook, saying he would “smoke her and get away with it.” After the shooting he bragged that he shot someone the night prior, admitted he still had possession of the gun and claimed to be a “professional.”
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After receiving his Miranda warnings, he told cops the two had a “fight over infidelity” which led to a fight over the gun. It went off, hitting her in the front of the head, prosecutors said.
“The jury found this defendant responsible for taking the life of a young mother and creating a tragic set of circumstances for her family,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerina D. Whethers. “Gun violence is a scourge on our community in all its forms, and we will not stand for it.”
Stone-Gonzalez’s obituary described her as a “thoughtful person who was always ready to help anyone in need.”
