The man charged with shooting and killing Morrow County Sheriff's Deputy Daniel Sherrer last year was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Brian Michael Wilson pleaded guilty on May 6 to aggravated murder and 13 other charges, including felonious assault and domestic violence.
In exchange for his plea, Morrow County Prosecutor Andrew Wick dropped death penalty specifications. Wick said the sentence was appropriate.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to the life sentence. Visiting Judge James Kimbler also added a 27 to 32 1/2 year sentence on several of the other charges.
Wilson was charged in the fatal shooting of Sherrer on Memorial Day in 2025.
Sherrer, 31, was killed after responding to a domestic violence call north of Marengo.
Before Wilson was sentenced, Sherrer's fiancee, Alex Lyon, spoke about what Wilson took from her.
"I felt my entire would shatter and come crashing down," Alex Lyon said. "He took away our future we both were working really hard for. Our chance to build a home we wanted to raise our future kids in."
Alex Lyon said Sherrer went above and beyond for his friends and family and the community.
Dan Lyon, the father of Sherrer's fiancee, also spoke, saying that when he looks at Wilson, he sees "senseless evil."
"Watching our daughter Alex suffer the loss of the love of her life and not being able as a dad to fix it, brought another level of anguish that is impossible to put into words," Dan Lyon said.
Peg O'Grady, Sherrer's aunt, said everything still seems surreal.
"It is hard to believe that someone so full of life, purpose and goodness could be taken from us so suddenly and so violently," O'Grady said.
Wilson, who cried from time to time as he listened to what others said before he was sentenced, told the court that no words can change or fix what happened that day.
"And for that I'm sorry," Wilson said. "The only thing I can do is try to help heal all the hurt that I've caused."
Wilson also apologized to his own family.
"If I could trade my life for Deputy Sherrer's I would, but I can't," Wilson said.
