Bullitt County man pleads guilty in June 2025 killing of Aaron Welker, plea agreement ends in probation

A Bullitt County man accused of pulling the trigger in a June 29, 2025 shooting death pleaded guilty in court on June 23, 2026, taking a plea deal that will end in probation, according to WAVE.

WAVE identified the defendant as Kent Russell, 34, who was charged with one count of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of Aaron Welker in Pioneer Village, a neighborhood in Bullitt County. The report said Russell appeared in court and entered his plea as part of the agreement.

The case stemmed from the shooting death that authorities attributed to Russell’s actions at Pioneer Village. Under the terms described in the report, the guilty plea will replace the pending murder charge with a probation outcome rather than a prison sentence.

Details in the report focused on the procedural posture at the time of the plea, rather than the full terms of the agreement or the sequence of events surrounding the shooting. The report characterizes the agreement as one that will “end in probation,” meaning Russell’s future supervision will be handled through probation conditions determined by the court.

The plea agreement also shifts the case from a fight over guilt to the remaining issue of sentencing and supervision. After a guilty plea, courts typically move to impose the agreed-upon or court-ordered conditions, including any restrictions on the defendant’s conduct and the structure of probation monitoring.

For residents in the Pioneer Village area and the broader Bullitt County community, the case’s resolution through a plea continues the legal process without a trial. The outcome means the murder charge, as filed, will not proceed to a jury determination, and instead the court will administer probation as the final disposition described by WAVE.