A 30-year-old Ohio man who called police to say he was responsible for his girlfriend’s death will spend less than five years in prison after fatally shooting the 32-year-old woman in the head inside their apartment, authorities said.
A Franklin County judge this week ordered Gage Smith to serve six years in a state correctional facility for the 2025 slaying of Autumn Ward, records show. The sentence was handed down after Smith, who was initially charged with murder, pleaded guilty to a lesser count of reckless homicide with a firearm specification and possession of drugs.
According to an incident report, officers with the Columbus Division of Police responded to the 100 block of Chittenden Avenue at approximately 7:21 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, regarding a “disturbance.” Upon arriving at the address, first responders encountered Smith, whom they described as being “in emotional distress.”…