19-Year-Old Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty but Mentally Ill in Grandmother's Death

Thu, 07 May 2026 05:11:00 +0200

Wyatt Testerman, a 19-year-old from Kentucky, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to murdering his 74-year-old grandmother, Cheri Oliver, in an unprovoked attack at her home in October 2024. Prosecutors said Testerman recorded the assault on a phone he set up beforehand, striking Oliver more than 40 times, including with a metal cup, and stomping on her multiple times. Police found her unconscious in a pool of blood; she later died from blunt force trauma to the head. Testerman's mother witnessed the attack and tried to intervene, while another witness reported that Testerman had previously accused Oliver of being 'suicidal and a terrorist.' During the court proceedings, Testerman admitted to struggling with substance abuse and stated that he had been abusing LSD for some time before the attack. A defense expert diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder, leading to his plea of guilty but mentally ill. This plea allows him to receive mental health treatment while in prison under Ke