COVINGTON, Ky. (WXIX) – A judge on Tuesday denied a motion for probation filed by Joseph McMeans, the Covington teen convicted of a hate crime killing in 2023, ordering him to begin serving his sentence in adult prison.
McMeans, now 18, pleaded guilty as an adult in 2023 to facilitation of murder and robbery. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison and has already served two of those years. His transfer to adult prison was triggered by his 18th birthday.
Background on the 2023 case
Prosecutors said McMeans, who was 15 at the time, and 14-year-old Jamareon Jones-Snap targeted two Hispanic men for robbery, believing they would be carrying large sums of cash because they would not have access to bank accounts.
Surveillance video showed the robbery escalate from a fight to gunfire…