Wyatt Testerman may seek parole after 20 years for the 2024 death of 74-year-old Cheri Oliver.

COVINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky judge sentenced 19-year-old Wyatt Testerman to life in prison for killing his grandmother, rejecting a defense request for a 20-year term after finding that the recorded attack raised lasting concerns about the danger he could pose to others.

Kenton Circuit Judge Patricia Summe imposed the sentence July 7, more than two months after Testerman pleaded guilty but mentally ill to murder in the death of 74-year-old Cheri Oliver. The sentence allows him to become eligible for parole after serving at least 20 years, but it does not guarantee his release. Testerman entered his plea without an agreement that limited the punishment, leaving prosecutors free to seek the maximum sentence and the judge responsible for deciding between a term of years and life imprisonment.

Summe said she considered Testerman’s age and the possibility that a young person could change over time. But the judge said the evidence, particularly a cellphone recording of the attack, showed conduct that could not be explained away solely by drug use. She expressed concern that a person capable of such violence against a grandmother who had taken him into her home could remain a danger to the wider community. Her decision placed protection of the public above the defense’s request to focus on rehabilitation and Testerman’s youth.

The sentencing ended a case that began Oct. 8, 2024, when Erlanger police were sent to Oliver’s home on Ridgewood Drive. The first call was described by prosecutors as a request to check on Testerman’s welfare, but officers were told while on the way that an assault was taking place. They found Testerman outside the house and Oliver unresponsive inside. Emergency workers took her to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined that she died from blunt-force injuries to the head.

Investigators recovered Oliver’s cellphone and found that it had recorded the attack, according to the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said the video showed Testerman positioning the phone so that the living room was visible, closing curtains and increasing the volume of a television. They said he moved furniture and a rug before forcing Oliver to the floor. The recording showed him repeatedly punching and stomping her and striking her with a metal drinking tumbler, prosecutors said. The most disturbing language from the recording was paraphrased in court and news reports because of its graphic nature.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders argued that those preparations showed planning rather than a sudden, uncontrolled outburst. He told the court that Testerman had also sent threatening messages before the killing, including a message indicating that Oliver would be severely beaten. Sanders described the recording as among the most disturbing evidence he had encountered and said the steps Testerman took before the assault undermined the claim that he lacked control over his actions. Prosecutors asked for life imprisonment, saying a shorter sentence would not reflect the gravity of the crime or the risk of future violence.

The defense did not dispute that Testerman killed Oliver. Instead, attorney Timothy Schneider asked the judge to weigh evidence that Testerman had been experiencing a drug-induced psychotic episode. Testerman acknowledged using LSD for an extended period and said he had held delusional beliefs about his grandmother. According to the defense, he initially thought he had acted to protect himself and did not recognize the beliefs as false until weeks after the killing. Schneider said experts for both sides agreed that Testerman had experienced psychosis, though it was linked to voluntary drug use rather than an established biological mental illness.

That distinction shaped the legal outcome. Testerman had once indicated that he might pursue an insanity defense, but reports prepared by psychological experts connected his condition to intoxication. Kentucky law does not treat insanity caused by voluntary substance use in the same way as a qualifying mental disease or defect. Testerman instead pleaded guilty but mentally ill. The plea operates as a conviction while allowing treatment for a recognized mental condition in a prison hospital or other correctional setting. After treatment is completed, the person serves the rest of the sentence in the regular prison system.

Testerman apologized during the hearing and turned toward relatives as he spoke. He described Oliver as caring and said he now understood that the danger he believed he faced had not been real. He told the court that he would have to live with knowing that he had ended her life and asked his family to accept his apology. His relatives did not excuse the killing, but his mother and aunt urged the judge to leave room for his eventual return to society. They said his behavior during the attack did not match the young man they had known before his drug use and mental decline.

Oliver’s daughter, who was also Testerman’s aunt, described a family divided by grief and concern for a young relative who had committed an act she called vicious. She said Oliver had been pleased to let Testerman stay with her and that he had helped his grandparents with errands and medical appointments. The arrangement was meant to provide stability after he had experienced substance-related problems. Instead, the home became the scene of the killing. The aunt told the court she could not understand why he attacked someone who had consistently supported him, but she did not believe he should necessarily die in prison.

Prosecutors challenged the defense’s view that drugs accounted for the full sequence of events. Sanders said there was no medical record showing that Testerman had a serious mental illness before the crime and argued that voluntary drug use could not excuse Oliver’s death. He also pointed to the video as evidence that Testerman remained able to make decisions: arranging the room, positioning the phone and continuing the assault after checking whether Oliver was alive. Sanders said those actions showed awareness and purpose, even if Testerman also held irrational beliefs.

Summe ultimately agreed that the mental-health evidence did not justify the minimum sentence. The judge said the recording showed not only violence but moments when Testerman could observe what was happening and choose whether to stop. She acknowledged that relatives might forgive him and that redemption could be possible, but said the court also had to consider the safety of people outside the family. A life sentence, she concluded, was necessary despite the fact that Testerman was only 18 when he killed Oliver.

The parole provision means the sentence could receive another review after Testerman has served the minimum period required by law. At that point, the Kentucky Parole Board would consider his institutional record, treatment, conduct and other factors. Eligibility does not require the board to approve release, and he could remain imprisoned for life. For now, Testerman is expected to enter the state correctional system and receive the mental-health evaluation and treatment associated with his guilty-but-mentally-ill conviction.

Author note: Last updated Aug. 2, 2026.