Lexington man gets prison time for deadly shooting that stemmed from domestic violence

A Lexington man originally charged with murder in 2021 was sentenced Tuesday after pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Carl Munford, 37, was charged with murder and wanton endangerment in April 2020 in the death of Devante Bell, 28, who was shot and killed in the 1000 block of Pennebaker Drive.

Munford’s charges were later amended down after he agreed to plead guilty in March to second-degree manslaughter. The wanton endangerment charge was dismissed, according to court records.

Munford was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution. The sentence had the possibility of being considered for probation after a judge found that the shooting was a result of domestic violence.

Munford and his attorney tried to have his charges amended down further and get Munford probation by citing a Kentucky law that says evidence can be presented to establish the victim had previously committed acts of domestic violence or abuse.

In court documents, a Fayette County judge said because of language describing domestic violence of a family member, Munford would have been subject to the exemption. However, the judge still denied the request for probation, according to court documents.

At the time, Munford was arrested after he intentionally shot Bell, who was inside his vehicle, according to an arrest citation. Later, police released information that the shooting happened when an argument escalated to shots being fired.

The shooting occurred right outside Munford’s home while he was inside a vehicle with a small child, according to court records.

Munford and another witness both testified in court that Bell had committed domestic violence against one of their family members, who he was dating.

The first incident occurred in December 2019 in a fight Munford described to the court which involved Bell, his girlfriend, Munford and his mother-in-law. Bell put Munford in a headlock during the fight, according to court records.

It was also revealed that prior to the shooting, Bell’s girlfriend was evicted from her apartment after Bell damaged the apartment and many of her personal belongings, according to court records. Bell’s girlfriend moved into Munford’s home and filed an emergency protective order against Bell, according to court records. In the petition, the victim said Bell threatened her and choked her.

The victim’s petition for a domestic violence order was later dismissed because she didn’t show up for a court date.

In efforts to prove domestic violence, Munford testified about an incident which occurred about two months before the shooting in February 2021. He said in court that he was approached by Bell at a gas station and that Bell approached him from behind and yelled, “BOOM,” and threaten Munford’s life.

Munford purchased a handgun the day after the encounter, according to court documents.

On the day of the shooting, Bell went to Munford’s home to drop off birthday cupcakes for a child in the home. Bell was told he was not welcome inside the house, which led to a verbal argument. Tensions rose, and one witness claimed Bell threatened to “spark her house,” according to court records.

Munford became upset at Bell’s presence at the house and left, and told Bell to be gone before he returned, court documents state. When he did return, Bell was parked on the street outside of Munford’s home. According to court documents, Munford pulled up the car, a fight ensued, and Munford shot Bell seven times.