The teen charged in the death of Alex Updegrove on Fairview Drive in October of 2021 was sentenced to ten years in prison Wednesday in Christian Circuit Court.
Sixteen-year-old Richard Rawlins recently entered a guilty plea as a youthful offender to first-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Updegrove—Rawlins reportedly pointed a gun at the victim while they were at a residence in the 400 block of Fairview Drive, saying he should ‘just shoot him’. He then loaded the gun and fired it, striking Updegrove.
Defense attorneys requested probation for Rawlins, due to his age and in the hope of getting help for a substance abuse problem, but the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office was opposed to that. Updegrove’s father spoke during the hearing, reading impact statements from family members, before addressing Rawlins directly—he urged him to make something of himself, and not let the life of his son go to waste.
Judge Andrew Self called the incident a tragedy for two families but denied probation, saying it would be inappropriate in this case and urging Rawlins to take the words of Upedegrove’s family to heart.
The judge stuck to the terms of the plea deal and sentenced Rawlins to ten years in prison, with credit for time served.