'Left her lying there to bleed': Man used girlfriend's gun to kill her in her kids' room, then 'kissed her on the cheek and ran'

A 25-year-old antheral successful Ohio avoided spending the remainder of his beingness down bars for sidesplitting his girlfriend, fatally shooting the 34-year-old parent of 3 successful her children's country with her ain gun.

Darke County Common Pleas Judge Travis L. Fliehman ordered Zachery S. Gilbert to serve 14 to 19 1/2 years successful a authorities correctional installation for the 2024 slaying of 34-year-old Brianne Otley, tribunal records show.

Gilbert had been facing charges of execution and tampering with evidence, but helium reached a woody with prosecutors and connected Monday helium pleaded blameworthy to 1 number of involuntary manslaughter with a firearm specification. His seat proceedings had been scheduled to statesman connected Dec. 19, 2025, conscionable hours earlier his plea was entered.

According to a news release from the Greenville Police Department, officers and exigency aesculapian unit astatine astir 8:30 p.m. connected Sept. 26, 2024, responded to a location successful the 700 artifact of Martin Street regarding a study of a pistillate being shot.  Upon arriving, archetypal responders recovered the victim, aboriginal identified arsenic Otley, wrong the location suffering from astatine slightest 1 gunshot wound. Medics instantly began lifesaving measures, but could not resuscitate Otley, who was pronounced dormant astatine 9:17 p.m.

Police began searching for Gilbert, who had fled the country connected ft earlier they arrived. With the assistance of the Darke County Sheriff's bureau and Ohio Highway Patrol troopers, a perimeter was acceptable up astir the country of the shooting and Gilbert was rapidly located and taken into custody.

Following his arrest, Gilbert "admitted to having his digit connected the trigger erstwhile the weapon was fired wrong the bedroom," Court TV reported, citing a probable origin affidavit.

Gilbert reportedly said that helium had been drinking for "a fewer hours" erstwhile helium and Otley got into an statement due to the fact that helium believed "the unfortunate was seeing different taxable romantically." Otley had already breached up with Gilbert, but was allowing him to enactment successful her location until helium recovered different spot to live, Dayton CBS affiliate WHIO reported.

Prosecutors past week petitioned the tribunal for the maximum sentence, a petition the justice granted.

"The defendant's behaviour successful this lawsuit is wholly successful character," prosecutors wrote successful a sentencing memo. "He drinks, abuses drugs and helium hurts people. He has been afforded attraction aggregate times and does not comply. Only a lengthy incarceration volition halt the suspect and support the nationalist from the defendant's actions. The interaction of the defendant's action, erstwhile helium killed Brianne, volition beryllium felt by her family, including her mother, sister, children, family, and friends for the remainder of their lives. The defendant's selfishness successful lone reasoning astir himself outgo Brianne her life."

Before sentencing, respective of Otley's household members addressed the tribunal and expressed their disappointment successful the plea agreement.

"They swore they were going to combat this case. My sister was a fighter, she fought her full life," Latasha Otley, the victim's sister, said successful footage posted by WHIO. "He changeable her successful her kid's chamber with her weapon and near her lying determination to bleed, kissed her connected the feature and ran retired the door."

The victim's mother, Michelle Otley, told the justice she was "200% against this plea deal."

"Very betrayed, precise betrayed," Michelle Otley said of prosecutors agreeing to the plea deal. "You dropped the shot connected my daughter, you gave up connected my daughter."