Melissa Scott

SCOTTSVILLE — The day her trial was expected to begin, a Scottsville woman pleaded guilty in connection with her partner’s death.

Melissa Scott, 45, pleaded guilty in Allen Circuit Court to a count of second-degree manslaughter.

Scott was one of three people charged with conspiracy to commit murder against Larry Whitney Jr., 40, of Scottsville, who died on May 16, 2017, from a knife wound to the chest.

In addition to Scott, trials were set to begin Monday for Whitney’s son, Braxton Whitney, and Donovan Sutton, a friend of Braxton Whitney’s who was staying at the Bays Bend Road home where the death took place.

Allen County Commonwealth’s Attorney Corey Morgan said Scott agreed to a 7 1/2 year prison sentence in exchange for the guilty plea.

Conspiracy to commit murder charges against Braxton Whitney and Sutton were dismissed, resolving what Morgan termed a “very, very difficult case.”

“(Scott) and (Braxton Whitney) had a story that they kept the entire time, that (Larry Whitney) had fallen on the knife,” Morgan said. “We had concerns that we wouldn’t be able to prove the conspiracy part.”

Morgan was prepared at trial to present testimony from Dr. Darius Arabadjief of the Kentucky Office of the Medical Examiner, whose autopsy of Larry Whitney resulted in a finding that the manner of his death was a homicide and that the wound occurred during an assault.

While an expert found Whitney died by homicide, authorities were not able to establish who actually caused Whitney’s death.

Morgan said that law enforcement arriving at the house saw several things strewn about and learned that the house had been cleaned the previous day, suggesting that a struggle had occurred.

“We believe it to be Melissa (who stabbed Whitney) because there was a history of domestic violence between them,” Morgan said. 

The incident was investigated by the Allen County Sheriff’s Office, and a grand jury indicted Scott, Braxton Whitney and Sutton in 2019.

According to court records, Scott called 911 and reported that Larry Whitney injured himself as he was removing garbage from the home, and Braxton Whitney told detectives that his father had fatally injured himself with the knife while handling it.

Scott will return to court on March 27 for sentencing by Allen Circuit Judge Mark Thurmond.