Two teenagers pleaded guilty in the 2019 murder of Nashville musician Kyle Yorlets last month, just days before one of their trials was scheduled to start. Diamond Lewis, 17, was set to go on trial on Oct. 25 for a charge of first-degree premeditated murder. Instead, she agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder. Decorrius Wright, 18, also pleaded guilty.
Yorlets was shot in an alley behind his West Nashville home in February 2019. He made it back into his home, where his housemates found him. Investigators first charged five juvenile subjects in the murder. One of the suspects allegedly stole Yorlets’ wallet and wanted the keys to his car, according to police, reports WKRN. When Yorlets refused, one of the teens shot the musician, police said. The suspects initially charged were three girls, ages 12, 14, and 15, and two boys, ages 13 and 16.
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Wright and Lewis’ cases were transferred to adult court. In September, a judge decided they would be tried separately, with Lewis’ trial scheduled for Oct. 25, WTVF reported. However, on Oct. 12, the defendants entered guilty pleas. Second-degree murder has a mandatory 25-year prison sentence, which Lewis will have to serve. She will receive credit for the two years she already served. Wright will serve 26 years in prison and 10 years probation.
During the Oct. 12 hearing, the prosecutor read a statement from Yorlets’ father, who said his mother, Deb, died from cancer and believes her health declined after her son’s death. The prosecutor also read a statement Deb wrote before her death. “He always left a lasting impression on people. People came through the line reminding us of things they remembered from kindergarten,” Deb’s letter read. “His one teacher said even in the first grade if someone didn’t understand something, he would try to help them.”
Lewis entered her plea deal the same day her 15-year-old brother, Latherious Lewis, was laid to rest. He was shot in the back outside his home the week before the hearing. Rodale Lewis, the 23-year-old older brother of both Lewis and Latherious, was charged with Latherious’ death on Oct. 14, reports WKRN. Rodale was arrested after a brief car chase. When he was arrested, Rodale was found with a suspended Tennessee license, a digital scale, two Xanax pills, cash, and his phone. Rodale was also a fugitive in Alabama, where there were five extradition warrants out for his arrest.
