Despite 'severe' mental illness, David Ohlson will spend decade in prison for killing mother

A Pensacola man who shot and killed his own mother was sentenced to just over a decade in prison on Wednesday.

David Allan Ohlson, 19, had originally been charged with the second-degree murder of his mother, Adrianna Ohlson, after shooting her with a shotgun on April 8, 2022, in front of his father.

Despite Ohlson's attorney telling to a judge that her client has severe mental illness and a need for medical care outside of prison, Circuit Judge John Simon sentenced Ohlson to 124.5 months in Florida's Department of Corrections.

Following his sentence, Ohlson will serve two years of community control followed by 15 years of probation, according to Assistant State Attorney Trey Myers.

Although attorney Sharon Wilson intended to rely on the insanity defense for her client, Ohlson ended up signing a plea agreement May 17, 2023, stating he would plead no contest to one count of manslaughter with a firearm rather than face the murder charge.

Insanity plea: Pensacola teen to plead insanity in mom's death. He's the 3rd local son to do so in 9 years.

Ohlson plea: Pensacola teen charged with mother's 2022 murder pleads no contest to manslaughter

What happened during David Ohlson's hearing?

The key issue in Ohlson's case came down to his mental health and if it met the criteria to be legally declared insane.

Pensacola psychologist Dr. Stephen Zieman testified that he did not feel Ohlson met the legal standard of being declared not guilty by insanity despite saying Ohlson had "the most severe case of (obsessive-compulsive disorder he'd) ever encountered."

"Do you have an opinion as to whether this incident would have occurred had David not been mentally ill?" Wilson asked Zieman.

"I think the mental illness directly contributed to his actions," Zieman replied.

According to Zieman, Ohlson struggled with severe OCD that had also caused attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and an anxiety disorder since his birth. This mix of illnesses led to Ohlson's struggle leading a normal life, even causing what Zieman called "intrusive thoughts."

Wilson argued to Simon that Ohlson has never been able to lead a "normal life" at any point, much less a "successful" one.

"Just because he doesn't suffer from the legal definition of insanity doesn't mean that he's OK, doesn't mean he's normal," Wilson told Simon.

Since Zieman said his evaluation doesn't show Ohlson meets the criteria for legal insanity, Myers told the judge Ohlson's mental conditions aren't an excuse for him to have killed his mother.

"This is a tragic case. It was a killing that was not necessary," Myers told the court. "It was not justifiable and certainly not excusable.

"Judge, the state recognizes his mental conditions, and as such we made a plea offer reflecting it," he added. "Although this is a tragic event and the defendant may be a sympathetic person ... his mental deficiencies are not an excuse for this crime. As such, he deserves to be punished for this crime to a sentence not less than 20 years in state prison."

Ohlson charged: ECSO: Father witnessed his 18-year-old Pensacola son shoot and kill woman with shotgun

Ohlson's parents split: His parents separated 3 weeks ago. Now this Pensacola teen is accused of killing his mom.

During the hearing, Ohlson was provided a chance to speak. Looking at Simon, he apologized for the incident and said he agrees that he needs mental help.

"Your honor, I would like to say what happened that night — I'm very sorry that happened. It is my fault that everything happened," Ohlson told the judge. "I'm very willing to receive help, mental help. I know I need it. I've always known I needed it, and I really feel like I need mental help."

Why did David Ohlson shoot his mother?

According to Ohlson's testimony after the shooting, he was triggered by the announcement of his parents' divorce just three weeks prior.

The stress and confusion of parental divorce mixed with Ohlson's mental illness led to his state of mind on April 8, 2022, he said.

Ohlson's father, David Aaron Ohlson, sat on the stand and said that "his pain rubbed off on my son." He also took time to explain to the court what life was like and how he and his wife tried the best they could to help the younger Ohlson as a child.

The father then turned to Simon and spoke on behalf of his son.

"He is my only child. Neither one of us really had a life," the elder Ohlson said as he tried to speak through tears and a trembling voice. "(Adrianna) tried really hard. He's a great kid, and I'm not just saying that because he's my son.

"I love my family. I never had one. It was the first time I had a family," he continued. "I love my son, and I'm proud of him. I always just wanted him to love himself and be proud of himself."

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: David Ohlson killed mother Adrianna, will spend 10 years in prison