Man Pleads Guilty to Murder in Killing of Kentucky Deputy

SCOTT COUNTY, Kentucky -- Rachel Conley’s children still ask her why a “bad man” killed their father nearly two years ago.

All she can tell them is that a cowardly man did a cowardly thing.

“You’ve ruined our lives, and you better hope you find God in prison. Maybe he can forgive you, because I certainly can’t,” Conley told the man who’d just entered a guilty plea for her husband’s murder.

Law enforcement lined the walls of the packed Scott County Courthouse on Wednesday, while Conley read her victim impact statement to the judge who would sentence her husband’s killer.

Steven Sheangshang, 47, entered a guilty plea on charges including the murder of a police officer for the fatal May 2023 shooting of Scott County Deputy Caleb Conley during a traffic stop.

Sheangshang was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“I hope for the rest of your miserable life that you spend every week, each second, thinking about Caleb,” Rachel Conley said. “And when you go to sleep at night, I hope you see his face. Even if there are moments when you do stop thinking about him, he’ll still be there. He will always be there.”

Caleb Conley worked at the Scott County Sheriff’s Office for four years and served in the U.S. Army for eight years.

He is survived by his wife, young children and his parents.

Immediately after shooting Conley, Sheangshang went to a nearby home in Georgetown and threatened Gary and Rebecca McQuain with a gun, then took their vehicle. He drove to Fayette County, where he shot David DiLeonardo and stole his vehicle. DiLeonardo lived, but has ongoing health challenges as a result of the shooting.

DiLeonardo has undergone four surgeries to date with more scheduled, a four-month hospital stay and is struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. As part of the plea deal, Sheangshang will pay $55,000 in restitution to cover medical costs for DiLeonardo.

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said the decision of his office to not pursue the death penalty came after consultation with prosecution, law enforcement and the Conley family, who did not want to drag out legal proceedings. He said the plea deal will minimize the trauma the victims are exposed to, while ensuring the safety of the commonwealth.

“If you harm a law enforcement officer — a deputy, an officer, a trooper — here in our commonwealth, we will use every tool in our legal tool kit,” Coleman said. “We will come after you with everything we have.”

“We will bring the maximum penalty that the law allows. We will protect the men and women of law enforcement in this commonwealth. The criminal who killed deputy Conley will spend the rest of his natural life in the custody of the Kentucky Department of Corrections. He’ll never hurt anyone again.”

Caleb Conley’s mother, Jolene Conley, also spoke at the sentencing, but refused to say Sheangshang’s name. She referred to him only as “the criminal.”

Jolene Conley said she believes her son is watching over his family from heaven, and that there is a spot reserved in hell for Sheangshang.

Through tears, she told the courtroom the man responsible for the death of her son had “eyes filled with evil.”

“I made it a point to always tell (Caleb) how proud I was of him. And now the only place I have to go to tell him that is a big headstone in the cemetery.”

Rachel Conley said Sheangshang has never shown remorse for the pain he caused her family. She said although he has learned his fate in the justice system, the consequences of Sheangshang’s actions will impact her family forever.

“There’s a constant void in our lives that can never be filled. It is a pain that cannot be described. It is all-consuming and never-ending,” she said.

“I can only hope that one day, you feel the same amount of pain that we have felt, and I hope it consumes you as it has us.”

Sheangshang, who appeared at the hearing virtually, apologized to the family. He also said he will try to have the Innocence Project look at his case, which works to free wrongfully convicted people from prison.

“There is evidence that can be brought to light, and I hope one day it is,” he said. “Other than that, that is all I have to say.”