'Never feels sufficient': Man who accidentally shot girlfriend, fled to Dayton gets prison

A Northern Kentucky man who admitted shooting and killing his girlfriend while carelessly handling a firearm at a home in Covington was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison.

That prison term was handed down to 55-year-old Ryan Sherman by Kenton County Circuit Judge Patricia Summe. It matches a recommendation from prosecutors reached as part of Sherman's February guilty plea to manslaughter, tampering with evidence and illegal possession of a firearm.

Sherman was the only other person present at the Wheeler Street residence when 51-year-old Laverne Wilson was shot in the chest in February 2023, investigators said in a criminal complaint.

Prosecutors say Covington police interviewed Sherman that same day and he admitted to investigators that he moved the handgun from the floor to the bed but denied shooting Wilson.

Sherman wasn’t arrested during that interview and police could not locate him for several weeks after, though he was eventually apprehended in Dayton, Ohio. He fled to avoid being arrested in connection with Wilson’s death, prosecutors said in court filings.

Sherman's public defender declined to comment on the case when contacted by The Enquirer.

"A 10-year sentence never feels sufficient when someone is dead, but the investigation didn’t uncover any motive for this killing, indicating it was unintentional," Kenton County Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said in a statement.

While Kentucky law limits the punishments available for such a crime, Sanders said, a new law adopted last month − overcoming a veto by Gov. Andy Beshear − reclassified manslaughter as a violent offense, meaning those convicted of that crime in the future will serve more of their sentences.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKY man gets prison for fatally shooting girlfriend, fleeing to Dayton