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Carlos Faulkner denied parole, will spend the rest of his life in jail for killing Lesley Briede 25 years ago


By Mark Hansel
NKyTrib managing editor

Carlos Faulkner will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Barbara Briede and her nephew, Paul Hill speak to the media Monday. Briede’s daughter, Lesley Briede was brutally killed by Carlos Faulkner 25 years ago. Monday, the Kentucky Parole Board ruled Faulkner will spend the rest of his life in jail (Photos by Mark Hansel).

That was the decision handed down Monday by the Kentucky Parole Board for the man who killed Lesley Briede of Fort Wright 25 years ago.

Faulkner pleaded guilty in 1993 to charges of murder, first degree burglary and being a first-degree persistent felony offender and was sentenced to 25 years in prison at a time when life without parole wasn’t a sentencing option in Kentucky.

As a result, Faulkner was eligible to be considered for parole November 29, but today’s decision ensures he will never be released.

Lesley Briede, 26, was found dead in her home in Fort Wright in September, 1992. She was brutally beaten with a barbell and stabbed 39 times, while her mother, Barbara Briede, was at church.

Barbara Briede said today that it gives her peace of mind knowing Faulkner will spend the rest of his life in jail.

“What a burden has been lifted from me,” she said.

Briede added that while she was relieved with the decision, she still thinks about what Leslie, and she, have missed out on.

“Getting married and having a family, and we didn’t get to experience any of that,” she said.

Retired Fort Wright Police Chief Daniel Kreinest who was an investigator at the time Lesley Briede was killed, said Faulker is right where he needs to be.

Retired Fort Wright Police Chief Daniel Kreinest said the parole board’s decision protected the community.

“This was a horrific crime, it was planned, it was intentional, this is an individual who is dangerous and who had threatened a number of women,” Kreinest said. “So to not let somebody like that out to victimize someone else is really good news.”

Fort Wright is a small community, Kreinest said, where generations of families live.

“They are very tight-knit and this is one of those crimes that doesn’t occur very often,” Kreinest said. “Overall, it’s a very suburban, very safe community and it was just a shock.”

Kreinest, who was an investigator at the time of the killing, described the crime scene as horrific. He said Lesley Briede was home, safe in her bedroom and did nothing to provoke Faulkner.

“Her only issue was that she was nice and it cost her, her life,” Kreinest said. “The one place that you think you are safe is at home.”

Faulkner planned the killing meticulously, according to Kreinest. He called Barbara Briede that day to make sure she was going to church. He then went to the church, took her garage door opener, drove to the home and pulled his car into the garage, took a weight upstairs to assault Lesley Briede with and then stabbed her repeatedly.

“He was out on bond for other crimes at the time and he has tried to play the system every way he can,” Kreinest said. “He’s a dangerous individual and he is where he needs to be.”

Paul Hil,l the attorney representing Barbara Briede, is also her nephew.

Carlos Faulkner will spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing Lesley Briede 25 years ago (provided photo).

“Every Thanksgiving it was us and Barb’s family, so it was my favorite time of the year,” Hill said. “They were probably my favorite cousins and I would have crawled under a hole, if I was Aunt Barbara. Instead she went to work and made our community safer, without a doubt. “

What Barbara Briede did was become an active advocate for victim’s rights after Faulkner’s sentencing. In 1998, as chapter president of the Kentuckians Voice for Crime Victims, she and other supporters won a victory when the Briede Bill passed in the state legislature.

The bill allows for a life sentence without parole and a 50 percent increase in victim compensation. It also included a mandate that violent offenders serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. Prior to its passage, offenders were only required to serve 50 percent of their sentences.

“No mothers are going to go through having a hearing, like she did and have to recount what she had to recount,” Hill said.

Barbara Briede thanked the Northern Kentucky community for spreading the word about the parole hearing and for flooding the parole board with letters and emails.

I can’t thank the City of Fort Wright enough,” Briede said. “I also want to thank each and every one of you for getting the word out.”

Hill said parole board officials indicated they received more than 1,000 correspondences in support of keeping Faulkner behind bars for the rest of his life.

Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com


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