Man pleads guilty to murder in death of Murray State student who had Hopkinsville ties

A Calloway County man charged with murder in the death of a Murray State University student last year pleaded guilty to that charge and others earlier this week.

Julius Sotomayor, 23, entered a guilty plea Monday to felony charges of murder, theft and tampering with evidence.

Kentucky State Police detectives arrested and charged Sotomayor in March of 2021 with the murder of Murray State University student Sarah Townsend after finding him near Townsend’s car and based on other evidence and statements gathered.

(Townsend, who was from Farmville, Virginia, had relatives in Hopkinsville.)

Forty-second Judicial Circuit Commonwealth’s Attorney Dennis Foust said Sotomayor accepted a plea deal to serve 40 years in prison.

“We want to protect the community from violent activity,” Foust said. “We felt like a 40-year sentence was an appropriate amount of time to protect the public.”

Calloway Circuit Court Clerk Linda Avery said Sotomayor’s sentencing date is Sept. 22.

Liam Niemeyer

Ohio Valley ReSource Reporter & Assistant News Director at WKMS

Liam Niemeyer is a reporter for the Ohio Valley Resource covering agriculture and infrastructure in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia and also serves as Assistant News Director at WKMS. He has reported for public radio stations across the country from Appalachia to Alaska, most recently as a reporter for WOUB Public Media in Athens, Ohio. He is a recent alumnus of Ohio University and enjoys playing tenor saxophone in various jazz groups.