Prosecutors seek death penalty for Crestview Hills man accused of killing ex-girlfriend
A Crestview Hills man charged nearly two years ago in connection with the death of his ex-girlfriend is facing the death penalty, according to the Boone County Commonwealth's Attorney's Office.
Prosecutors notified the court of their intent to pursue the death penalty against John Gentry in a January court filing.
The capital case stems from prosecutors alleging Gentry killed 32-year-old Tiffany Kidwell of Walton while a domestic violence order was in place, acording to court documents.
Even if Gentry isn't sentenced to death, he faces a potential prison sentence of life without parole or 25 years to life if convicted, according to the documents.
Gentry, 35, is facing numerous charges in Boone County Circuit Court including murder.
According to the Boone County Sheriff's Office, Gentry told detectives he tracked Kidwell down to a driveway on Winchester Road shortly before 9 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2020 and shot her “until it was quiet.”
The sheriff’s office said Gentry and Kidwell had been in a relationship. But Kidwell had left Gentry, was staying with relatives on Winchester Road and had secured a domestic violence order against him.
The couple’s 3-year-old and 6-year-old sons were in the backseat of Kidwell's car during the shooting, officials said. The 3-year-old was shot in the abdomen but survived.
Gentry later carjacked a couple in a vehicle at the intersection of Grand National Boulevard and Overland Ridge at gunpoint, the sheriff's office said, adding a passenger in that car was shot in the leg.
He tried to flee the area in the stolen vehicle but was intercepted by deputies, officials said.
Bridget Hofler, Gentry's attorney and a public defender who specializes in capital punishment cases, said the prosecution's decision to pursue the death penalty could result in this case taking years to resolve, given the levels of appeal it may go through.
"It's a very sad thing, a murder case. It destroys so many lives," Hofler said. "And when they (prosecutors) seek the death penalty, all they're doing is guaranteeing that there will never be an end to the litigation."
Court orders competency evaluation
The court has ordered an evaluation to determine if Gentry is competent to stand trial, Commonwealth's Attorney Louis Kelly confirmed in an email Monday.
Prosecutors requested the evaluation following statements made in court about Gentry suffering from traumatic brain injury and having "trouble communicating with defense counsel about plea negotiations," according to court records.
Hofler said testing by a neuropsychologist confirmed that Gentry does suffer from "substantial" frontal lobe damage.
"I have to make sure he understands everything and there have been instances where I do not believe he does," Hofler said, adding that doesn't necessarily mean Gentry is incompetent.
"I don't really believe that there's any real basis for the prosecution to want a competency exam," she said. "If anybody should be really worried about competency it should be me. I'm his attorney."
In court filings, Hofler has raised concerns about a court ordered competency evaluation, arguing in part that confidential information could be released to prosecutors which would violate Gentry's constitutional rights.
Gentry is currently being detained at the Boone County Jail where he's been held since October 2020, jail records show.
A pretrial conference is scheduled for May 16. The case is being heard before Judge Richard Brueggemann.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NKY man accused of killing ex-girlfriend faces death penalty
