A 41-year-old Beavercreek woman is facing murder charges after she called 911 early Saturday morning and told dispatchers she had just shot her boyfriend. Ashley Quinn Morgan was booked into the Greene County Jail around 9:20 a.m. that day, hours after police found 41-year-old Sean Thomas Reagan dead inside the home the two shared.
Beavercreek police responded to a reported shooting around 2:25 a.m. on Oct. 24 in the 100 block of South Alpha Bellbrook Drive, according to wdtn.com. On the 911 call, Morgan told dispatchers, “I need help. I need help now. I just shot my significant other. He's been threatening me all night,” according to the Dayton Daily News. She also told the dispatcher, “No, he’s dead ... I just aimed, and I shot.”
According to the newspaper's reporting, Morgan said Reagan had refused to leave the house, had broken items throughout the home, and had taken her cellphone during the confrontation. She described him as “deranged” and said he had a gun and threatened to kill himself and her, a claim also reflected in reporting from whio.com, which reported that Reagan “had a gun and was threatening to kill himself and her.”
Children Were Home But Did Not Witness Shooting
Morgan told dispatchers that her two young children were in the house at the time of the shooting. “I'm scared to death. I don't want my kids coming down,” she said, according to the Dayton Daily News account.
Per whio.com, police said two children, ages 3 and 5, were in the home but did not witness the shooting. Officers arrived on the scene and found Reagan already dead; he was pronounced dead at the scene, the station reported.
The investigation remains ongoing, per wdtn.com.
Charges, Bond and a Court Date
Morgan was charged with two counts of murder, one count of voluntary manslaughter and one count of felonious assault, whio.com reported. WHIO reported she was held on a $1.5 million bond.
Morgan was expected in court Thursday.
What Ohio Law Says About Self-Defense Claims
Under Ohio law, when evidence at trial supports that a defendant used force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of their residence, prosecutors bear the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not act in self-defense, according to Ohio Revised Code Section 2901.05.
Ohio classifies voluntary manslaughter as a first-degree felony under Section 2903.03 of the state code. Murder charges under Section 2903.02 carry penalties set out separately under state sentencing statutes. The investigation remains ongoing, and further details about the case are expected as it proceeds through Greene County's court system.
