UPDATE: Feb. 13 at 9:45 a.m.
A Fayette County judge found probable cause Friday to send a murder case involving an 18-month-old's fentanyl overdose death to the grand jury.
Ka'Darrius Warren, 26, appeared for a preliminary hearing in Fayette District Court in connection with the August 2022 death of Cho'zyn Wilson. Detective Benjamin Evans with the Lexington Police Department's Crimes Against Children Unit testified about the investigation that spanned more than three years.
During the hearing, Evans testified that Warren's girlfriend provided new details about what happened that night during a later interview.
"She told me that Mr. Warren entered her bedroom with a lifeless child in his arms. He laid the child on the bed and then exited the residence," Evans said. "She did not tell detectives that specific detail that night."
The investigation gained momentum in January when a witness came forward with information about the case.
"The witness told me that they had spoken directly with Mr. Warren in reference to the death of the child," Evans said. "The witness told me that Mr. Warren and his girlfriend both used narcotics and passed out, upon waking up, they located the child unresponsive."
Evans testified that Warren told the witness he tried to call 911 but was stopped by his girlfriend. Cell phone data corroborated a failed 911 call, according to Evans.
"Mr. Warren then waited approximately 31 minutes and called 911 again before fleeing the residence for the final time," Evans said.
Original Story:
After a multi-year investigation, 26-year-old Ka'Darrius Warren has been charged in connection to the 2022 homicide of a Lexington 18-month-old, Lexington Police report.
According to the agency, Cho’zyn Wilson was found unresponsive in August 2022 and was pronounced dead at a local hospital; an investigation revealed that Wilson died as a result of an accidental overdose.
"Detectives with the department’s Crimes Against Children Unit continued to investigate, following up on evidence and information over the last several years," LPD said in a release.
Additional details in the case have emerged as LEX 18 obtained a criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, Lexington police responded to the 800 block of Charles Avenue on Aug. 17, 2022, after Warren called 911 to report that a baby was not breathing. Warren then allegedly fled the scene before first responders arrived.
Officers found the child, unresponsive and cold to the touch in a rear bedroom. The child was transported to UK Hospital but was pronounced dead after arrival, the complaint read. An autopsy revealed that the child had lethal amounts of fentanyl and acetylfentanyl in his blood. The medical examiner ruled the death an accidental overdose.
The investigation revealed Warren had been in contact with two individuals associated with drug trafficking in the hours before the child's death. Phone records show Warren communicated with one person seven times and another once between 2:06 p.m. and 2:49 p.m. on the day of the incident, according to the complaint.
Data gathered during the investigation showed Warren left the Charles Avenue home and returned while communicating with these individuals, the complaint noted.
A witness came forward in January 2026 with information about the case. The witness told investigators that Warren had explained the circumstances surrounding the child's death, saying Warren and his girlfriend allegedly used narcotics in the room with the child present and fell unconscious, the complaint revealed.
Warren claimed to the witness that he attempted to call 911 but was stopped by his girlfriend.
Another witness told investigators that he allowed the pair to stay at the home in exchange for fentanyl, the complaint added. He said the pair kept to themselves and always kept the child in the back bedroom with the door closed while the child was with them.
The complaint also reported that an additional witness living in the home told police that Warren entered her room with an "apparently lifeless" child in his arms and laid the child on her bed. In the complaint, the witness reportedly said that Warren then left the home after he said he called 911.
The investigation into Wilson's death is ongoing; anyone with information is encouraged to contact Lexington Police.
Warren has been charged with one count of murder, and is housed in the Fayette County Detention Center.
