Attorneys to talk possible deal in Brafman case

A special prosecutor and the attorney for attempted murder suspect Karen Brafman will try to resolve her case before her scheduled October trial.

Defense attorney Eric Bearden told Judge John Atkins Wednesday morning that they’d likely need another pre-trial conference scheduled and that he and Assistant Attorney General Jim Lesousky would try to negotiate a deal in the meantime.

Lesousky says he’ll be in Hopkinsville soon to meet with witnesses in another case and he’ll meet with Bearden at that time.

Judge John Atkins set the next hearing for July 7—a little more than three months before the October 18 trial date.

A jury in 2019 found Karen Brafman guilty of first-degree arson, second-degree arson and six counts of attempted murder and gave her a life sentence. She allegedly set fire to a mobile home on Princeton Road with six people inside, including four children.

The Kentucky Supreme Court reversed the decision in December, saying she was denied a fair trial when Commonwealth’s Attorney Rick Boling opposed her using a defense that she was intoxicated—even though he knew she had been at the time of the crime.