A pair of brothers who eluded law enforcement for 16-years and were returned to Fort Smith after their 2020 arrest in California to face charges in the 2004 murder of eighteen year-old Adelio Romero were sentenced in Sebastian County Circuit Court this week.
Brothers Kenny and Keimty Xayakesone fled the area in 2004 when they learned FSPD Investigators were looking at them as suspects. On Tuesday, both men were sentenced to 20 years in prison with an additional 10 years suspended after a plea deal in open court.
The pair were convicted of Conspiracy/Solicitation to Commit Murder in the First Degree. They were returned to Arkansas in November of last year and will be credited with time served towards their 20-year sentences.
Police say Romero was killed in a drive-by shooting on Wilma Avenue on the city's northwest side on July 4, 2004.
The pair were were featured on America’s Most Wanted during their decade and a half of avoiding justice, and when the Fort Smith Police Department actually maintained a Top Ten Most Wanted the brothers were a permanent fixture on the list.
