Daughter resolved to see through conviction of her father’s killers: ‘I’m not settling’

COVINGTON, Ky. (WXIX) - It’s been a month since Charlotte Stewart lost her father to a shooting authorities have described as random. Her grief remains as strong as her conviction to see those responsible punished.

One of those people, according to police, is behind bars with a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

“As long as God gives me oxygen to be on this earth, I’m not going to miss a court date,” Charlotte said. “I’m not settling for nothing.”

Charlotte’s father, 60-year-old Virgil Stewart, was on his way home from work walking along Madison Avenue on Aug. 18 when two people approached him. In the resulting encounter, one of those people shot Virgil, whose body police found afterwards.

It was an robbery attempt, according to Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders. The pair allegedly made off with $6, which one of them took from Virgil as he lay already shot and dying.

Latoya Dale, 31, is one of those people, Sanders says. She allegedly admitted to being involved.

Investigators haven’t determined who shot Virgil; Dale claims it was her accomplice.

Charlotte doesn’t see a difference. “She was right here and participated in killing my dad. She was right here.”

Sanders previously called Virgil’s random targeting “everyone’s worst nightmare.” He explained Virgil was merely “the first person to walk past and look like a viable target for them.”

Virgil was walking home from his job at the Family Dollar, which friends say he took the job to support his granddaughters. Charlotte explains his death has been especially difficult for them.

“She can’t sleep,” Charlotte said. “It affects her really, really bad.”

Charlotte is just as grief-stricken. She says she still texts her father’s cell phone every day. She says every day since Aug. 18 has been a nightmare.

“We used to go bike riding,” she offered. “I would ride my bike, he would jog. We would go clean the dirt off people’s graves in the cemetery.”

No longer. Still, Charlotte says she’s thankful to Covington police for helping to bring her family some early hope for closure.

“Detectives and them police have not been able to go home to their family and sleep, because they have spent 17 hours here, and 20 hours here, and 15 hours here, all though the night, trying to figure this stuff out,” she said. “They have put their own personal lives on hold for my dad.”

Dale’s alleged accomplice has been identified, but Covington police say he has not yet been charged in connection with Stewart’s death. He is in jail on unrelated charges.

Virgil’s funeral service will be held on Sept. 30 at Southside Baptist Church.

PREVIOUSLY | Family, friends honor man killed while walking home from work in NKY

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2022 WXIX. All rights reserved.