A Hardin County woman who admitted to shooting and killing a 29-year-old south Louisville woman in July 2024 will not spend a single day in prison. Stephanie Hill, of Vine Grove, pleaded guilty to reckless homicide, tampering with physical evidence and drug charges in the death of Renata Veljacic, and a judge granted her five years of probation instead of incarceration.
According to WLKY's Matthew Keck, Hill's plea agreement had called for seven years in prison, but Judge Annie O'Connell instead granted probation — meaning Hill could still face up to 12 years behind bars if she violates its terms. Hill is scheduled to report to a recovery center Thursday and will be monitored for 90 days, per the station's report.
A 2 a.m. Call and a Nine-Hour Manhunt
Officers responding to a shooting call around 2 a.m. on July 8, 2024, found Veljacic suffering from a gunshot wound to the head in the 8000 block of Glimmer Way, according to K105. Emergency medical services pronounced her dead at the scene. Hill lived in Vine Grove, a Hardin County community roughly 40 miles southwest of Louisville, according to the News-Enterprise.
Police found Hill about nine hours after the shooting at a Circle K gas station on New Cut Road, carrying Veljacic's cellphone, according to an arrest citation cited by WDRB. Investigators said Hill, then 32, had slept in nearby woods to evade capture, and she was initially charged with murder, first-degree robbery, tampering with physical evidence and first-degree possession of heroin — charges far more serious than what she ultimately admitted to. She was booked into Louisville Metro Corrections on a $250,000 bond, WHAS11 reported at the time.
Judge Cites Addiction Treatment Over Prison Time
At sentencing, O'Connell said community-based programs would be better suited to Hill's specific needs than Louisville Metro Corrections, and that corrections was not the best place for her to receive treatment, per WLKY's account of the hearing. The judge added that Hill is a low risk to reoffend if she gets help for her addiction.
What Kentucky's Reckless Homicide Law Allowed
Reckless homicide under Kentucky Revised Statute 507.050 is a Class D felony punishable by one to five years in prison, according to Baldani Law Group. Because it's classified as a non-violent felony, defendants convicted of it are eligible for probation and early parole after serving 15% of a sentence — though the firm notes probation is rarely granted in fatal homicide cases, which is the statutory opening that gave O'Connell room to order treatment instead of prison. Tampering with physical evidence under KRS 524.100 carries the same one-to-five-year range plus fines between $1,000 and $10,000, according to Larmour Law Offices.
Louisville's Homicide Numbers Since the Killing
Louisville recorded 116 homicides in 2024, the year Veljacic was killed, before citywide homicides fell 26% to 86 in 2025, according to WHAS11. Between 2020 and 2025, the city recorded nearly 900 homicides, with more than 91% involving firearms and over 2,700 nonfatal shooting victims, per Louisville Metro Government data.
