The sentencing hearing focused on grief, remorse, mental illness claims and the death of Cheri Oliver.
COVINGTON, Ky. — Relatives of Cheri Oliver asked a Kenton County judge for mercy Tuesday before the grandson who admitted killing her was sentenced to life in prison.
The hearing brought together two painful parts of the same case: a family mourning a 74-year-old Erlanger woman and relatives asking that Wyatt Testerman, 19, not spend the rest of his life behind bars. Testerman pleaded guilty but mentally ill in May to murder in Oliver’s death.
Oliver was attacked Oct. 8, 2024, at her home on Ridgewood Drive in Erlanger. Police said officers from Erlanger, Elsmere and Independence responded after a report of an active assault. Oliver was found with serious head injuries and later died at University of Cincinnati Medical Center. Investigators said Testerman was outside when officers arrived. Court testimony and police records described a sudden and violent attack inside a home where Oliver had taken in and helped her grandson.
At sentencing, Testerman’s aunt said Oliver had been happy he was staying with her and said he had helped around the house, run errands and taken his grandparents to medical appointments. The aunt said she could not understand why he hurt someone who supported him. Testerman’s mother also spoke through tears, telling the judge her son was young and had taken drugs that changed his thinking. Both asked for leniency while acknowledging the harm done to Oliver.
Testerman apologized in court and said he had believed, wrongly, that his grandmother was a threat. “My grandma was one of the nicest, most caring people who ever walked the earth,” he said. Defense attorneys asked for 20 years, saying Testerman acted under drug-induced psychosis after LSD use. They said the plea of guilty but mentally ill would allow prison-based mental health treatment.
Prosecutors argued the sentence had to match the violence of the crime. Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said the attack was recorded and showed Oliver had done nothing to provoke her grandson. Sanders said the case was not about forgiveness but justice. He said authorities could not take the risk that Testerman might use drugs again and hurt someone else.
Judge Patricia Summe sentenced Testerman to life in prison. She said the attack showed more than the effect of drugs and raised concern about future danger. Testerman will be eligible for parole after 20 years, but the life sentence ensures the state parole board will decide whether he is ever released. The family and defense declined to comment after the hearing.
Author note: Last updated July 8, 2026.