Wilson pleads guilty to murder, sex crimes

A 29-year-old Leitchfield man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife, as well as tampering with physical evidence and numerous child sex crimes.

Orbay L. Wilson changed his plea to guilty following a superseding indictment, filed in February, in which he was also charged with two counts of sodomy in the first degree, victim under 12 years of age; two counts of incest — victim under 12 years of age; two counts of use of a minor (under 16) in a sexual performance; and two counts of possess matter portraying sexual performance by a minor under 12.

These charges were added to his previous charges of murder — domestic violence and tampering with physical evidence, and, court files state, all crimes took place around the same time. According to Wilson’s indictment, the child sex crime charges stem from incidents that took place between June 17, 2022 and June 29, 2022, the latter of which is the date of his wife’s death.

Orbay Wilson was arrested on Thursday, June 30, 2022 by the Kentucky State Police in relation to the death of his wife, 23-year-old Lexus C. Wilson.

According to Orbay Wilson’s arrest citation, at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, Grayson County dispatch received a call of the reported suicide of Lexus Wilson at 252 Decker School Road in Leitchfield.

The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office had responded to the reported suicide and, during its investigation, obtained “evidence that foul play was involved and not a suspected suicide as originally believed,” according to a press release from Kentucky State Police Post 4.

Court documents go on to state that, during an interview at the Leitchfield Police Department, Orbay Wilson told police he shot his wife while she was asleep, placed the gun by her head, and then called 911.

A month after the superseding indictment was filed and the additional charges levied against Orbay Wilson, on March 21, he accepted the Commonwealth’s offer on a plea of guilty.

The case against Orbay Wilson was prosecuted by the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 46th Judicial Circuit, which recommended he be sentenced to life in prison for the charge of murder — domestic violence; 20 years each on the two sodomy charges; 20 years each on the two incest charges; 20 years each on the two charges of use of a minor (under 16) in a sexual performance; 20 years each on the two charges of possess matter portraying sexual performance by a minor under 12; and five years on the charge of tampering with physical evidence.

All sentences are recommended to run concurrently for a total sentence of life in prison; however, entry of the judgment and order imposing the sentence is being withheld and postponed until June 6 pending a pre-sentence investigation.

According to the plea deal, Orbay Wilson will be eligible for parole after serving a minimum of 20 years pursuant to Kentucky Revised Statute 439.3401(2). Upon his release, he would be subject to five years of supervised release and required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

Orbay Wilson was represented by attorney Erin Hartman of the Department of Public Advocacy in Elizabethtown.