A Van Wert County judge sentenced 39-year-old Ryan Houser of Rockford to 15 years to life in prison for the 2023 murder of Barbara Ganger.
Houser was found guilty of murder after pleading no contest. In a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped the remaining charges against him.
Before sentencing, Houser tried to withdraw his plea, but the judge denied the motion. The case stemmed from a Labor Day 2023 welfare check, when Van Wert Police found Ganger dead in her apartment from gunshot wounds to her stomach and eye.
