The First Street Journal recently reported on the case of now-convicted murderer Brandon Dockery. Mr Dockery murdered Raymar Webb in August of 2021, was arrested quickly, but actually brought to trial only in August of 2026. That’s five years later, all to mount a pathetic defense — Mr Dockery admitted that he killed his victim — that no competent jury would ever accept. But at least Mr Dockery was behind bars for those five long years, and not out on the streets to commit more crimes.

Which brings me to this case:

Lexington police arrest driver who allegedly killed pedestrian in a hit-and-run

By Christopher Leach | Wednesday, September 16, 2026 | 10:16 AM EDT | Updated: 10:53 AM EDT

The driver accused of hitting and killing a pedestrian with a car in Lexington over the weekend has been arrested.

Riley Coston, 21, of Richmond, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident with a death or serious physical injury/failure to render aid, as well as tampering with physical evidence in connection with the crash. He was booked into the Fayette County Detention Center Wednesday, Sept. 16.

Several uninteresting paragraphs follow, detailing the crime and the alleged actions of Mr Coston. Then came the two paragraphs I found most interesting:

In November 2024, Coston was indicted on charges of kidnapping, fourth-degree assault, third-degree terroristic threatening and intimidating a participant in a legal process. Court documents say he allegedly drove a person against his will to an empty parking lot in Winchester, repeatedly struck one of his hands with a hammer and threatened to kill him if he reported what happened to police in July 2024.

Coston was arrested October 2024 but released from jail the next day after posting a $25,000 bond. The case remains ongoing in Fayette Circuit Court, according to court records.

I do not object to Mr Coston having made bail in 2024; the Constitution guarantees the right to reasonable bail. But for some reason, almost two years following his arrest and indictment, indictment on violent crime charges, Mr Coston had not been brought to trial.

Reporter Christopher Leach did not tell us why Mr Colton’s prior case “remains open,” and it could be that the defense has asked for a series of continuances. That Mr Dockery’s case took five years to come to trial didn’t really lead to any public safety problems, but Mr Coston was free on bond, for almost two years, and now 19-year-old Chance Martin will never see his twentieth birthday.

We reported, just yesterday, how Jacolby Williams was on trial this past week, and convicted of manslaughter — he had been charged with murder, but was convicted on the lesser offense — for a killing in September of 2023. Yup, same state, same county, same court.

Why is it taking so long to bring violent offenders to trial? Even though Messrs Dockery and Williams were not out on the street, not a threat to public safety, they were also being imprisoned, for years, for crimes for which they had not yet been convicted.

This is something which the journalists at the Lexington Herald-Leader ought to investigate. At least in the case of Mr Costen, a young man has paid the ultimate price for the long delay in bringing Mr Coston to justice.