A Whitewater Township confrontation that neighbors say shattered a close-knit block ended Thursday with a decades-long prison sentence for the man who pulled the trigger.
Cole Hornsby, 26, was sentenced to 24 years to life in prison after a jury earlier this year convicted him of fatally shooting his neighbor, 40-year-old Theodore "Ted" Block, during an April 2024 dispute. Jurors returned their verdict in January, and residents say the killing has left the neighborhood on edge.
Judge Hands Down a Heavy Term
Judge Jennifer L. Branch handed Hornsby the 24 years to life sentence, according to FOX19. After a two-week trial, the jury found him guilty on two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence, the station reported.
Hornsby’s defense team pushed for a far lighter outcome, asking the court for a two-year term and arguing that some of the evidence shown to jurors should never have been admitted.
What Police Say They Found on Kilby Road
The shooting happened on April 16, 2024, on the 5000 block of Kilby Road, where both men lived, according to FOX19. Prosecutors said a confrontation between the neighbors escalated into gunfire.
Investigators testified that officers arrived to find Hornsby standing over Block’s body with a handgun, and court testimony said Block had been shot five times, according to WLWT. The station also reported that Hornsby was legally barred from possessing a firearm and already had a criminal record in Indiana.
Prosecutors told the judge that evidence showed Hornsby tried to hide the weapon in his shed after the shooting. Witnesses said some bystanders recorded parts of the confrontation, and authorities arrested Hornsby at the scene.
Block’s wife, Krissy, later told reporters she saw the killing unfold and called her husband "her life," a grief-stricken description that neighbors said underscored how sudden and senseless the violence felt.
Past Record Looms Over the Trial
Hornsby’s prior history followed him into the courtroom. His record included being expelled from East Central High School for bringing a gun to campus and a later stalking conviction in Indiana, according to court documents reviewed in Justia.
Defense attorneys maintained that those earlier incidents had nothing to do with the shooting on Kilby Road, arguing they were unfair and prejudicial. Prosecutors countered that the history helped show Hornsby posed a continuing risk.
Aftermath for the Block Family and Community
Hornsby is being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center while the sentencing paperwork is processed, reporting from WCPO shows.
For Block’s family, the conviction and sentence have brought some measure of accountability, even if they cannot undo the loss. Neighbors have described the killing as senseless and say the block still feels different in the months since the night gunfire erupted outside their homes.
