Licking Township man sentenced for attempted murder for shooting wife, neighbor's home

NEWARK – A Licking Township man will spend 18-21 years in prison after a jury convicted him of attempted murder and other charges in connection with a January 2023 shooting that critically injured his wife and damaged a neighbor's house.

After a three-day trial, a Licking County Common Pleas jury found Larry McCreary guilty on April 19 of two courts of attempted murder, five counts of shooting into a home and two counts of domestic violence, the Licking County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

As The Advocate previously reported, Licking County Sheriff's deputies responded at 11:19 p.m. on Jan. 9, 2023, to a report of shots fired on Rodney Lane Southeast. They found the defendant's wife, Joyce McCreary, in the primary bedroom there with critical gunshot injuries, Sheriff's Capt. Jay Cook said at the time.

Larry McCreary also fired shots into a neighbor's occupied house on Rodney Lane Southeast, Cook said then, but no one was injured. Deputies found McCreary in a car in the garage with the engine running in what was believed to be a suicide attempt, and was taken into custody.

Joyce McCreary was transported in critical condition to a Columbus hospital, where she survived her injuries.

Larry McCreary's attorney, Robert Calesaric, previously sought a mental health evaluation, saying his client had "what I believe are early signs of dementia," The Advocate previously reported.

During the trial, the defense argued McCreary was not guilty because he didn't know at the time that his actions were wrong due to his mental health, according to the Prosecutor's office.

Advocate reporter Kent Mallett contributed to this report.

nshuda@newarkadvocate.com

@NathanielShuda

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Licking Township man sentenced for 2023 attempted murder of his wife