FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2025)– Attorney General Russell Coleman announced today he asked the Franklin Circuit Court to overrule Governor Andy Beshear and clarify that there is no impediment to the Governor’s signing of a death warrant for Ralph Baze, who brutally killed two Powell County law enforcement officers more than 30 years ago. In his motion, Attorney General Coleman argues that the 15-year-old court order blocking the death penalty doesn’t apply to Baze, and that the Governor’s misreading of the law continues denying justice to the families of Powell County Sheriff Steve Bennett and Deputy Sheriff Arthur Briscoe.
In June, General Coleman sent a letter to Governor Beshear formally requesting he sign a death warrant for Baze. In his letter, the Attorney General made clear there is no legal reason preventing the Governor from imposing the lawfully delivered sentence. Attorney General Coleman also included a letter to the Governor from Ms. Lisa Briscoe Lally, the sister of Deputy Briscoe and sister-in-law to Sheriff Bennett, asking for justice after more than 30 years.
Following the Governor’s response to General Coleman, the Attorney General sent another letter to the Governor, reiterating his legal conclusion. “You are able – and obligated under Section 81 of the Kentucky Constitution – to proceed and uphold the law immediately,” wrote Attorney General Coleman.
In public statements in response to the Attorney General and State Senator Brandon Smith, who represents Powell County, the Governor has refused to deliver justice for the families of the fallen officers. Governor Beshear has said he believes a 2010 order from the Franklin Circuit Court prohibits the signing of a death warrant.
“Respectfully, the Governor is wrong,” wrote Attorney General Coleman in his filing. “But because he has rejected the Attorney General’s legal advice, only the judicial branch can settle this dispute.”
“Governor Beshear can – and is legally required – to uphold the law and deliver justice for the families of Sheriff Bennett and Deputy Briscoe by signing a death warrant. Instead of fulfilling his duty, the Governor is hiding behind legal fictions and make-believe obstacles,” said Attorney General Coleman. “We’re asking the court to clarify the Governor’s legal responsibility and end the decades-long wait these families have endured.”
The Attorney General’s Principal Deputy Attorney General Jack Heyburn and Assistant Solicitor General and Director of Capital Litigation Christopher Henry submitted the motion on behalf of the Commonwealth.
Read the filing.