KENTON COUNTY, Ky. — A man was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to beating his grandmother to death in October 2024.
Wyatt Testerman, 19, was sentenced in Kenton County court after he pleaded guilty but mentally ill to 74-year-old Cheri Oliver's death in May. The guilty plea but mentally ill plea functions as a normal guilty plea, but Testerman will receive psychological treatment in prison.
Prior to Testerman's sentencing, his aunt and mother gave victim impact statements. Testerman also spoke, turning toward his family.
Testerman's defense attorneys asked the judge for a 20 year sentence, saying how both the state's expert witness and the defense's expert witness agree that Testerman acted under drug-induced psychosis. Testerman had admitted that he used LSD for recreational purposes.
Kenton County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Sanders, who asked for a life sentence for Testerman, said there is not a single medical record or any evidence supporting he had a legitimate, biological mental illness prior to commiting crime. Sanders also said drug-induced psychosis is no excuse for Oliver's death.
"The Commonwealth is not in the forgiveness business," Sanders said. "We're in the justice business."
"We cannot trust (Testerman) to not do more drugs," Sanders continued.
Testerman was first arrested after police responded to a home in the 100 block of Ridgewood Drive around 2 p.m. Oct. 8, 2024, for a reported assault. When they arrived, they found Testerman outside the home, while Oliver was inside the home.
In court in 2024, Detective Tom Loos with the Erlanger Police Department said Oliver was found laying in a pool of blood, and she was transported to UC Medical Center where she was pronounced dead. Loos said an autopsy found her cause of death was blunt trauma to the head.
Loos said Testerman began striking Oliver with his hands and a metal Yeti cup after there was an altercation and argument between Testerman, his grandparents and his mother.
When Testerman first appeared in court in October 2024, he had an outburst in court, yelling at the judge "innocent until proven guilty."
"Can it be proven that I thought she didn't have a weapon?" Testerman asked the judge, who didn't respond to his questions.
Testerman's defense attorneys also attempted to get him a furlough from jail so he could attend his grandmother's funeral, but the judge denied the request.
"Absolutely not. She wouldn't need a funeral if he hadn't killed her," Sanders said at the time in response to the defense' request. "That's the most ridiculous request."
