WILLIAMSTOWN, Ky. – It didn't take long for a Grant County jury to find a man guilty of killing his estranged wife and her friend in 2014.
The jury found Shaun Hiles guilty of two counts of murder and wanton endangerment Thursday, and it recommended that Hiles be sentenced to life without parole. A judge will pass sentence at a later date.
The defense tried to convince the jury that Hiles was emotionally unstable, but they didn't buy it. His father-in-law thinks he got what he deserved.
For someone that took my daughter's life and one of her friends, it was a terrible way to end the life but that's what you get when you kill two innocent people," Randy Dressman said.
Police said Hiles shot his estranged wife, Nicole Hiles, and her friend, Larry Whiteker, in Dry Ridge on July 28, 2014.
Police said Hiles rammed his truck into a truck with Nicole and Whiteker inside, then shot his wife in the head and fired multiple shots at the truck, also killing Whiteker.
Hiles also fired two shots into his own abdomen, police said.
The defense called no witnesses. Defense attorney Darrell Cox argued that Hiles was guilty of "a terrible crime" but not murder because he didn't have that intent and was just in an unstable state because of their pending divorce.
"He was overcome with extreme emotional distress, and that's the only thing that could explain his conduct," Cox said.
Prosecutor Jim Crawford said Hiles' intent was clear.
"He blew Nicole Hiles' face off. That shows his clear intent to kill," Crawford said. "It was premeditated. That was his design. That was his desire."
The defense called the Hiles' daughter to the stand. She spoke about the difficulty of losing her mother and her father to the prison system.
Whiteker lived on a farm owned by Kristen Reuger. She testified that Shaun Hiles was there in the days before the killings.
“To me, it appeared that he was watching Larry’s residence,” Reuger said.
Tom Shoup runs the store where Nicole Hiles worked. Shoup said Shaun Hiles came in and told him he was “the happiest man in the world” because he was getting divorced and “getting it all,” referring to various vehicles.
On the day of the murders, Shoup said someone had ripped all the handles off Nicole’s car doors.
Amy Field said she heard Hiles at Garrett's Place, a bar in Walton. He was shooting pool and bragging about pulling the handles off Nicole’s car earlier that day, Field said.
Officials said Whiteker was helping Nicole fix her car and was giving her a ride.
