New records reveal details of Rowan County double murder investigation

ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – Newly filed court documents are providing more detail in the Rowan County double murder case, where 44-year-old Joshua Cottrell is accused of killing 37-year-old Kayla Blake and her 13-year-old daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, inside their Morehead home last week.

According to the arrest citation and complaint warrant, Blake suffered multiple stab wounds inside the South Spring Street residence. The warrant also states that Cottrell intentionally stabbed Kennedi, causing her death. Detectives say evidence at the scene, including blood found throughout the home, directly tied him to the killings.

The complaint further alleges that Cottrell moved the victims’ bodies after the stabbings, altering physical evidence at the scene.

Authorities were first alerted when one of Blake’s co-workers went to check on her after she failed to show up for work Friday morning. From outside the home, the co-worker saw Kennedi inside and immediately contacted law enforcement, who then discovered both victims dead.

Cottrell fled Morehead after the murders and was later found receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Paducah, where he was arrested Friday afternoon. He remains in the McCracken County Jail on a $1 million cash bond.

Court officials now confirm Cottrell is scheduled to appear in Rowan County court on Monday, either in person or via teleconference.

The Rowan County community has been grieving since the killings. Students and staff were invited to wear purple this week in Kennedi’s honor, and a memorial has been placed at the middle school softball fields where she played for Parks and Recreation.

Court records also highlight Cottrell’s violent past. In 2003, he was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Guinn Richard Phillips after admitting to killing him, placing his body in a suitcase, and throwing it into a river. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for that case.