Family of victim see accused killer for first time in court

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)- Even while knowing a man on the screen in front of them could be their loved one’s killer, the family of a 2014 murder victim says they forgive him.

“I was always raised not to hold any grudges, I mean even though he did do this to our cousin, my uncle’s daughter and auntie’s daughter, we were a family that forgives. That’s how we were brought up,” says Montaira Green, a cousin of Kierra Johnson’s.

It was early December 2015 when Allen Burgess was charged with the Summer 2014 murder of Kierra Johnson. The 22-year-old Lexington man likely got the news while sitting in a Bourbon County Detention Center jail cell.

He was there on a long list of charges including resisting arrest and traffic violations. Burgess was also charged with wanton endangerment and drug charges.

It was June 30, 2014 when police say Burgess fired gunshots into a home on Scotsdale Circle. When officers arrived, they say they found three people with gunshot wounds and learned another had been taken to the hospital.

Kierra Johnson died from her injuries, according to police.

Detectives say they found several items of interest at the scene of the shooting but the one that tied Burgess to the shooting, a black baseball cap near the backyard of the home that was shot at. In a police report, witnesses claiming to hear gunfire also reported seeing four males running from the scene. Officers say Burgess’ DNA was found in the ball cap.

Investigators also say a gun found on Burgess at the time of his arrest which was linked to the bullets found on Scotsdale Circle. There was also a fragment found in Johnson’s body, matching those bullets and the gun.