LEXINGTON, Ky. (Court TV) — A couple charged with abusing their two children by burning them with cigarettes and locking them in cages had some charges dropped under a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Brian and Kayla Smith appeared in court on Oct. 16, 2026. (Zoom/Court TV)
Brian Smith, 32, and Kayla Smith, 33, had initially each faced six charges of first-degree criminal abuse of a child. On Friday, both entered an Alford plea, and a judge found each guilty of one count of wanton endangerment. The other charges were dropped. In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains their innocence while acknowledging there is enough evidence for a prosecutor to convict them.
Investigators began investigating the family after the couple’s children, both under age 12, reported to child services workers that their parents had been abusing them, Law&Crime reported.
In court on Friday, prosecutors said their investigation showed that from 2024 to 2025, Brian and Kayla Smith punished their two children “by putting them in cages and in rooms without food or water for punishment.” The prosecutor described the cage as “too small for one of the children to sit or stand up,” and said that the female child was left alone for extended periods without any access to a bathroom. Both children also had scars from being burned with lit cigarettes. The female child also said she was put in a room with a combination lock on the outside of the door “so she could not escape,” WLEX reported.
Prosecutors said that as part of their deal with the defendants, they were recommending a sentence of five years in prison for each. Judge Diane Minnifield deferred imposing a sentence, saying she wanted a presentence investigation to learn more about the couple and their family. Minnifield told the defendants that if she did not accept the Commonwealth’s sentencing recommendation, they could withdraw their pleas.
Sentencing for both Kayla and Brian Smith is scheduled for Dec. 4.
