BURLINGTON, Ky. — A man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend in 2020 has died while awaiting his trial, said Capt. Kevin Klute with the Boone County Jail.
John Gentry, 37, was pronounced dead at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Florence on Friday. Klute said the Boone County Sheriff's Office is investigating the exact nature and cause of Gentry's death.
Gentry, who was from Crestview Hills, was charged with the October 2020 murder of 32-year-old Tiffany Kidwell. Kidwell was found shot dead outside a Walton residence. Kidwell and Gentry's then 3-year-old son was also shot and injured. Their older son watched the shooting happen.
Gentry also shot and injured a stranger, stealing the man's car as he tried to get away, the sheriff's office said.
The shooting stemmed from a domestic violence incident, resulting in Gentry fatally shooting Kidwell and shooting the child once in the stomach, officials said. The sheriff's office said Kidwell had a protective order against Gentry.
RELATED | Court documents: Suspect repeatedly broke Tiffany Kidwell's protection order before her death
Gentry was charged with murder, domestic violence, first-degree assault, first-degree stalking, first-degree wanton endangerment, first degree robbery, violation of a Kentucky emergency protection order and evading police.
In July 2023, Gentry was found competent to stand trial.
Gentry's trial was expected to begin July 22. He was originally facing the death penalty, but prosecutors took the death penalty off the table so the couple's children didn't have to testify. If he was convicted, he faced life without parole or 25 years to life.
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