Originally scheduled for a jury trial next week, Hopkinsville’s Dekorian Daniel entered a plea of guilty to a superseding indictment Wednesday morning — bringing an end to what’s been a lengthy and litigious process since the October 26, 2021, murder of 23-year-old Adrian Acree.
At first charged with complicity to that murder, special prosecutor and 5th District Commonwealth’s Attorney Zac Greenwell instead added a charge of complicity tampering with physical evidence, and amended the murder charge from complicity to facilitation.
Greenwell noted that the Commonwealth is opposed to “all forms of early release,” meaning Daniel would serve a decade due to his reported involvement in the incident.
Following a line of questions from Judge John Atkins, Daniel agreed.
Atkins further noted that Daniel and Jaila Sherrod will each be formally sentenced at 11 AM Thursday, September 4. Sherrod entered a guilty plea to facilitation of murder and tampering with physical evidence in January 2024, with Greenwell recommending five years in prison on each charge for a total of 10 years — alongside a guarantee of cooperation with police, investigators and prosecutors regarding her co-defendants.
Greenwell did state that Acree’s mother will speak next Thursday.
Acree was killed by Cortez Hairston Jr., following a shooting on Jones Street near the intersection of Sharpe Street.
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In October 2024, Hairston Jr. was found guilty and recommended to a 30-year prison sentence — following an August 2024 hearing that ended in a mistrial on the second day, following an outburst from the gallery that caused the defense to feel it might have tainted the jury.
It’s there where Sherrod testified that Daniel owed Acree $3,400 from a drug deal, while Greenwell argued that Acree blamed Hairston for providing information about him to the police — eventually leading to the recruitment of Sherrod and Daniel to help with Acree’s murder. Police evidence showed Sherrod friended Acree on social media and listed him in her contacts as “Fat Rat.”
Greenwell said it was Sherrod who drove Acree to the location where he would be shot multiple times, and Hopkinsville Police testified they recovered 21 shell casings from a 9mm pistol at the scene, with Greenwell calling it a “statement crime,” and not a robbery, since Acree had cash on him at the time of his death.
