A Kimball man has been sentenced to 30-to-40 years in prison for accidentally killing his girlfriend during an argument with someone else in January of last year.
37-year-old William “Shane” Serrano had been convicted by a jury earlier this year on 4 felony counts, including manslaughter, in connection with the incident that resulted in the shooting death of Tessa Ghering.
The definition in Nebraska law of manslaughter includes a death occuring during the commission of another felony.
District Judge Derek Weimer sentenced Serrano to consecutive terms of 20 years for manslaughter and 10-to-20 years for felony use of a firearm along with concurrent 1-year terms on 2 counts of attempted terroristic threats.
Weimer gave Serrano credit for 485 days already served. Under Nebraska’s good time rules, he could be eligible for parole in 14 years.
Serrano’s arrest warrant says he was fighting with someone on Jan 3, 2022, when Ghering told him about a shotgun in the garage.
Serrano told investigators he went and got the gun, but when he tried to open the chamber the gun went off/ The round hit Ghering in the face, fatally wounding her.