Trish Bennett, Editor
CIRCLEVILLE – The man accused in the shooting death of his uncle in Darbyville pleaded not guilty to the charges Wednesday in Pickaway County Common Pleas Court.
Garret K. Gartin, 21, of Main Street, Darbyville, was indicted Aug. 7 by the Pickaway County Grand Jury on charges of voluntary manslaughter and reckless homicide in the death of Charles L. Huffer, 54, according to Heather Armstrong, assistant county prosecutor.
Both charges include gun specifications, which would add a mandatory three years to any prison sentence Gartin may receive if convicted.
A pretrial hearing is set for mid-September.
Gartin was taken into custody at the home of a neighbor after deputies were called to 16814 Main St. in Darbyville on reports of a shooting.
When deputies arrived, they reportedly found Huffer dead from a gunshot wound to the head on the living room floor and Gartin on the front porch of a neighbor’s residence.
Sheriff Robert Radcliff said the victim was Gartin’s uncle, who did not live at the residence but may have occasionally stayed there.
Voluntary manslaughter, defined as purposefully causing the death of another in the heat of the moment, is a first-degree felony, punishable by three to 11 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Reckless homicide, defined as causing the death of another due to a reckless act, is a third-degree felony, punishable by one to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Gartin remains in the Pickaway County Jail on $500,000 bond.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
