COVINGTON, Ky. — Zachary Ron Holden will serve life in prison and an additional 20 years for his part in a robbery that resulted in the murder of a 60-year-old man in Covington in 2022.
A judge sentenced Holden Monday to life in prison for the murder charge and an additional 20 years to serve consecutively for the first-degree robbery charge.
Holden is one of two people who were arrested for the death of Virgil Stewart, who was shot and killed on the 15th Street Bridge while walking home from work in September 2022.
Latoya Dale was also arrested and charged with first-degree robbery and murder. When investigators traced Stewart's death back to Holden, he was already being held in the Boone County Jail on a separate robbery charge.
At the time of Stewart's murder, Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said Holden and Dale appeared to "execute a strong-arm robbery" and Stewart was "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Witnesses described seeing two people standing over him ... demanding that he give it up, give the money, or something of that effect," Sanders said. "He unfortunately died of his injuries."
Sanders said the suspects got away with $6 from Stewart before he died.
"Absolutely tragic that someone would lose their life over $6. I wish I could say it’s shocking. It’s only shocking in the enormity of the loss," Sanders said.
Investigators were able to identify a suspicious vehicle they believe was fleeing from the scene after poring over Ring doorbell camera footage from the area for over a month. That ultimately led police to Dale, Sanders said.
Dale is scheduled to reappear in court in August. She has been held on a $1 million cash bond since her arrest in September 2022.
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