Judge Woody Woodall sentenced Ryan Champion Friday morning in Trigg County Circuit Court to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Champion pleaded guilty in December to murder charges for the shooting deaths of his parents, sister, and a family acquaintance. The guilty plea spared Champion a possible death sentence.
Prosecutor Carrie Ovey-Wiggins said the victims' family members were given the opportunity to make statements before sentence was passed. Wiggins said the outcome means the family will not have to deal with a years-long appeals process that would have come if Champion had received the death penalty.
"That was one of the main reasons for resolution of the case, so that there would not be years and years of appeals that the family would have to worry about and have to constantly think about." Ovey-Wiggins said.
Police found 62 year-old Lindsey Champion, 60 year-old Joy Champion, 31-year-old Emily Champion and 22-year-old Vito Riservato shot to death inside the Champions' Trigg County home on Oct. 26, 2014. Champion was arrested several days later, and Ann Plotkin was arrested later that year for her alleged role in the killings.
