Friends of Kayla Blake weigh in on Cottrell guilty plea, sentencing

ROWAN COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - A man charged with killing a Morehead mother and her 13-year-old daughter last year will spend life behind bars.

Joshua Cottrell appeared in court today for a change of plea hearing and sentencing. He admitted to stabbing and killing Kayla Blake and her daughter, Kennedi McWhorter, inside their home last September.

Cottrell was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to two counts of murder. He was also sentenced to five years after pleading guilty to tampering with physical evidence.

PREVIOUS:

• Man accused of killing Rowan County mother and daughter indicted
• Man accused of killing Ky. mother, daughter appears in court
• Suspect in murder of Ky. mother, daughter served time for killing man, stuffing body in suitcase
• Mother, teenage daughter killed in double murder identified; suspect arrested, KSP says

The Rowan County courtroom was filled with friends and family, with some saying justice isn’t truly being served.

“He needs to be thankful the mother did not want to go to trial and see all of the evidence of her daughter and her granddaughter because that’s the only thing that really saved him, but I feel like he’s begging for his life just like they were begging for their life as he was murdering them,” said Kayla Blake’s friend, Lona Kiser.

In the courtroom, Cottrell’s defense said he felt remorse for Kayla and Kennedi’s murders.

Blake’s friend Alyshia Brummett said she doesn’t believe Cottrell is sorry.

“Why wouldn’t he get up and say it himself to his family, to everybody that deserves to hear he has any emotion behind it? He didn’t even listen. No, I don’t feel that he has any remorse,” Brummett said.

Brummett added she’s trying to forgive Cottrell for all of this because it’s what Kayla would’ve done.

“That was her goal in life is to believe in people when they couldn’t believe in their selves, to love people when they couldn’t love themselves and show them what unconditional love was. Kennedi was amazing. She was the one that taught my daughter about God, and the faith she instilled in everyone is going to carry on,” Brummett said.

Kayla blake’s friends said the family of Richie Phillips is also on their minds.

Cottrell was charged with manslaughter for Phillips’ 2003 death after Cottrell admitted to killing him and stuffing his body in a suitcase.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in that case.

Blake’s friends added they hope both families impacted by Cottrell have peace of mind knowing he can never hurt anyone else.