CINCINNATI — A 24-year-old man charged with the murder of a West Price Hill mother in the spring of 2023 changed his plea to guilty on Thursday.
Zachary Barnhorst originally faced one count of voluntary manslaughter in the death of 44-year-old Brandy Lawless. On Thursday, he withdrew his plea of not guilty for that charge and entered a guilty plea for a reduced charge of reckless homicide.
Lawless was found on May 3, 2023, lying on the sidewalk on Sunset Avenue outside her West Price Hill Home. Cincinnati police said she'd been shot in the chest; she was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where she died from her injuries.
Friends and family of Lawless described her as a kind and compassionate single mother of two children.
Tamra Goodin, who said she grew up with Lawless, told WCPO in 2023 Lawless was a guiding light for those who needed one.
"She helped a lot of people that were recovering from drugs, she helped a lot of different people," Goodin said.
Goodin said Lawless used her own history of addiction — and what it took to fight it — to help others through their recovery journey. Lawless spent five years as a program director at Serenity Recovery Network in Cincinnati.
"She was definitely a staple in the recovery community," said Allison Marchioni, executive director of Serenity Recovery Network.
Barnhorst is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7 at 9 a.m.
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