Previous Story
Officials tight-lipped about details of Kersey death investigation
Posted On 29 Sep 2010
Whitley County Coroner Andy Croley said Kyle David Kersey died as the result of a single gunshot wound to the chest but investigators are still working to determine whether the attorney’s death was a homicide or suicide.
Kersey, 56, of Corbin was found in his pickup truck Friday morning on Ky. 770 in Laurel County just west of the bridge spanning the Laurel River. He was taken to Baptist Regional Medical Center in Corbin where he was pronounced dead.
Kentucky State Police are continuing to investigate.
A source had told The News Journal police had found a gun in Kersey’s vehicle but it was not the one used in the shooting.
However, Trooper First Class Don Trosper, public affairs officer at Post 11 in London, said he could not comment on any evidence investigators collected at the scene, specifically whether or not a gun or guns were found.
Trosper said investigators found a cup of coffee in Kersey’s truck, which he had purchased from Hardee’s just prior to the incident. The restaurant located next to Love’s Travel Center is less than a mile from where he was found.
Carrie Abbott passed Kersey as he came down the hill and crossed the bridge. She said she watched the truck veer off the road as if there was something wrong with the driver, coming to rest with the passenger side against the rock wall. Because of the eratic way the vehicle was being operated, she called 9-1-1.
Kersey had suffered a series of professional and financial setbacks including his disbarment, the initiation of foreclosure proceedings on his home and a series of state and federal tax liens levied on his personal residence.
According to documents filed Aug. 27 in Whitley Circuit Court Kersey had defaulted on his home mortgage that had a principle balance of $28,462.55 and the mortgage holder, Community Trust Bank, had initiated foreclosure proceedings.
In the court documents, officials from Community Trust Bank noted the U.S. Attorney General and the Commonwealth of Kentucky — Finance and Administration Cabinet had filed tax liens against the property. In addition, the Commonwealth of Kentucky Education Cabinet — Division of Unemployment had taken a judgment lien against the property. Though the amount of the federal lien is not noted, according to Kentucky Revenue Cabinet records Kersey owes the State of Kentucky $59,106.15 personally. Tax Ease Lien Investments 1, LLC. a company that purchases delinquent tax bill from the government, had filed a certificate of delinquency lien against Kersey and his wife, Teresa. Bank officials indicated the liens must be satisfied before the bank receives any proceeds from the sale of the property.
Trosper said investigators are aware that Kersey was recently disbarred and of the financial issues and are working to determine whether any of it is connected with his death.
"We are looking into that," Trosper said. "We are looking at every possible scenario. As part of that, all aspects of Mr. Kersey’s life are being reviewed."
Friends and colleagues say they will remember Kersey as a caring person with a big heart and positive outlook.
"He was very good to the people that others might not be so good to. He always had a kind heart and a special place for them," said Angie Bowling Lewis, a victim’s advocate with the Williamsburg Police Department.
"He had one of the best hearts that you could ask for."
Kersey, a Corbin High School graduate, served in the military from 1972-1975.
He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in elementary education, and had teaching credentials in elementary education and special education.
In addition to teaching special education, Kersey once worked for the Division of Children’s Services in Lexington as a social worker.
Kersey also graduated from Chase School of Law, and was an attorney in the Whitley County area for over 22 years.
In 1989, he was elected Whitley County Attorney, and served two terms in that capacity from 1990 until the end of 1998.
The year before Kersey took over as county attorney, Whitley County collected about $59,000 in child support. During his last year in office, Whitley County collected more than $1.1 million in child support collection.
During his tenure as county attorney Kersey also created the first domestic violence victim advocate position for district court in county history.
As county attorney, Kersey was Bowling Lewis’ first boss.
"He was the best boss ever. He was one of the nicest guys with the biggest hearts. Everybody that worked for him loved him," she said.
Bowling Lewis said the thing she remembers most about Kersey was that if someone came to the office asking for help, he always tried to oblige those people.
Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said that as a rookie police officer, he got to know Kersey fairly well.
At the time, Kersey accompanied Williamsburg police on numerous raids that they conducted, which was somewhat unusual for a county attorney.
"He will definitely be missed. He was just excellent to work with. Just about every drug raid we would go on, David Kersey was right there with us," Bird said. "David just really got into it, and we were pretty active at the time. He got really involved with it."
District Judge Cathy Prewitt said Kersey’s positive attitude is something she will always remember about him.
"One thing about David, he always had such a positive disposition. No matter what may have been going on in his life, he didn’t show it. He was always very positive telling a joke or something," Prewitt said.
Whitley County Attorney Paul Winchester said the thing he will remember most about Kersey was that he was a hard worker.
"He was always busy. I felt like in the cases I had with him, he really had the best interests of his clients at heart," Winchester said.
One Comment
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I don’t belive for one min. that David killed himself. He was the best attorney in KY. He defended me with such passion. always had a smile and a joke he had my back and I will always miss him, he was a good person.
I don’t belive for one min. that David killed himself. He was the best attorney in KY. He defended me with such passion. always had a smile and a joke he had my back and I will always miss him, he was a good person.
I don’t belive for one min. that David killed himself. He was the best attorney in KY. He defended me with such passion. always had a smile and a joke he had my back and I will always miss him, he was a good person.
You no this is more of a question than a comment. Does anyone no if he was using drugs because normally when u steal and lie and all the things that people are saying it sounds like a drug problem. Also if he did kill himself maybe he did it because he was afraid to go to jail and be in there with people he helped put in jail just a thought.
It shouldn’t matter who you are, a crime is a crime. It shouldn’t be covered up because people just don’t want it told. My heart goes out to the family, but everybody has to obey the laws not just the people without a big fancy house, a great job and a lot of money. The law applies to us all. That’s the problem these days everybody want to pick and choose who the law applies to. Here in Corbin we are over run with crooked, lawyers, judges, firefighters, city workers and especially, especially, our so called police force. Someone needs to step in and clean up this mess. That’s exactly why no one will come to Corbin and build, or open a factory, business or live here. We all know the history we inherited from out ancestors. Thanks but no thanks guys we are tired of it and want to make Corbin a better place to live, but we will only be able to do that when the last of the good ole’ boys is gone and we can do it right and make up for what they have done.
I’m not defending DK. I know he did wrong and he knew he did wrong, that’s why I think he took the cowards way out. I know that several years ago the KY revenue cabinet concluded he owed more money than anyone one person in KY for back taxes. Or something like that. I’ve known his Dad since 1974, and he is a good man. I feel sympathy for Teresa and Sara, they were drug down in this mess. I think David’s conscious got to him and he just couldn’t take the humiliation anymore.
And to all who were wronged orr lost money from him, you can file a claim with the KY Bar association and seek financial reimbursement. YOu might get some money back. But now Teresa and Sara are facing eviction if not already and they have to face the crowd for the rest of their lives. David if you can read this from where ever you are, please watch over your family. I hope that you found God and are at peace with yourself, but the sin of suicide is eternal ****ation.
i did know him personally but i do know my sister in law and she paid him a large sum of money to get a divorce and he took her money she never got her divorce and has too now pay another person to help her she has two kids and is struggling to get by and he really put her in a spot so you decide if he was a good person or not he may have helped some but he also hurt some does a good deed make up for so many bad ones you decide
Anigie did you ever need his legal help? I have to agree with undecided. He stoled $500 from me and never showed up for court, I was left with 4 kids walking while my daughters father had two vehichles and I had went through mediation, but he never followed through on court for me to get anything back. Lost $20,000, had to take my daughter out of St. Camillus because she had no way to school. What goes aruond comes around, they call it KARMA.
I love to see when criminal minds defend other criminal minds. Everyone wants to talk about how nice he was and how he would do anything for anyone, of course he was nice, he was stealing their money. It is much easier to be nice to someone that is accounting for your financial gain that it is someone that is not. He was a thief. It was proven, and he was disbarred because of it. Anyone that does not like those facts, tough.
It is not for me to decided if he was killed or if he commited suicide, that is for the professionals to figure out. It is, however, that I can state that I am so sorry to those that he stole from. I am sure they needed that money more than he did. And if he was in financial ruins, it was his fault, no one elses.
It is sickening that people will cast the pity card on someone like him. He was in a position to create a wonderful living for himself, he chose to steal and it came back on him. You have someone that is poor and trying to make at least the ends meet, and you are the same people that degrade them and try to bring them down.
He and anyone that feels the need to defend his horrid actions are the lowest of low.
And as far as his family goes, anything they benefited from his illegal actions, they do not deserve to keep. I do not care if he was taking care of them financially, they might just have to do like the rest of the world, get off their bums and get JOBS.
Hey Albert, what’s the matter did he send you to jail for sodomizing men at the 312 Boat Ramp or at the KY Welcome center in Souther WHIT Co.??
The dead can’t speak for themselves so it’s best just to let sleeping dogs lie.
Albert
You should not speak ill of the dead.
David was a jerk if you knew him well! He had a smart potty mouth & treated people worse than a dog!He had no respect for senior citizens& fooled around with any woman that looked his way!
David was a kind, loving, caring man. I hope they hurry up and determine what happened to him and if someone killed him, i hope justice will be swift and the maximum penalty enforced. The community has lost a good man.