Three Charged With Murder Of A Federal Witness

LOUISVILLE, KY – Three people have been charged with the murder of a witness aiding a federal investigation, announced Acting United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett.

Bobby Lee Smith, 48, of Louisville, Kentucky, and Cynthia Allen, 32, of Louisville, Kentucky, were both previously charged in a three count Indictment. The Superseding Indictment, returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Paducah, Kentucky on Tuesday February 23, 2021, added defendant, Lesa Andrade, 60, of Tampa, Florida.

According to the Superseding Indictment, on or about May 8, 2016, in Jefferson County, Kentucky, the defendants, Smith and Allen, aided and abetted each other, and did kill A.P. in front of her eight-year old child, with the intent to retaliate for the attendance and testimony given by A.P. in a grand jury proceeding on or about October 8, 2014, in the Western District of Kentucky.

Smith and Allen are also charged with tampering with a witness by killing. According to the Superseding Indictment, Smith and Allen, aided and abetted by each other, did kill A.P. in front of her eight-year old child with the intent to prevent the attendance and testimony of A.P. in an official proceeding, the trial of case number 3:15-CR-00058, scheduled for Nov. 28, 2016, with the intent to prevent the communication by A.P. to a law enforcement officer or judge of the United States relating to the commission of a federal offense.

The Grand Jury also charged the defendants, Smith and Allen, with tampering with a witness by killing. According to the Superseding Indictment, on or about May 8, 2016, Smith and Allen aided and abetted by each other, did kill A.P., in front of her eight-year-old child, a person assisting a federal criminal investigation.

The Superseding Indictment alleges in separate counts that both Andrade and Allen, aided and abetted by others, solicited, commanded, induced and endeavored to engage in conduct that involved the use, attempted use and threatened use of physical force against the person of another by soliciting, commanding, inducing and persuading Smith and/or Allen to engage in conduct, that is to murder A.P., a witness in an official federal proceeding.

If convicted by a jury, Smith and Allen face no less than life imprisonment or the death penalty for Counts 1 through 3. The maximum penalty for Counts 4 and 5 is no more than 20 years, a $250,000 fine and not more than 5 years of supervised release. The defendants will be arraigned in U.S. District Court in Louisville. At present, no arraignment date is scheduled.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph Ansari, Robert Bonar, and Lettricea Jefferson-Webb. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD).

The indictment of a person by a Grand Jury is an accusation
only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless
proven guilty.