A Campbell County jury convicted 24-year-old Bryce Stamper of assault and strangulation on Friday, finding that he attacked his ex-girlfriend at her home badly enough to fracture bones in her face. Jurors recommended a 12-year prison sentence, and Stamper is set to learn his fate at a November 10 sentencing hearing.
According to WKRC, the attack happened on December 28, 2024, when Stamper showed up at his ex-girlfriend's Campbell County home. Prosecutors said he was furious after seeing a social media picture of her and her friends wearing pajamas to a local VFW post.
Commonwealth's Attorney Rob Sanders said Stamper punched the woman in the eye and used his forearm to choke her during the confrontation, per the station's report. The injuries were severe enough that she needed surgery to have metal plates inserted to repair fractured bones in her face.
Jury's Recommendation Heads to November Sentencing
The jury that convicted Stamper on Friday also recommended he serve 12 years behind bars, the same report notes. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 10, when a judge will determine the final outcome.
Kentucky law treats strangulation as a serious felony offense. Under state statute, first-degree strangulation is classified as a Class C felony, while second-degree strangulation is a Class D felony.
Part of a Broader Pattern Across Kentucky
Strangulation cases like Stamper's are not isolated incidents in the state. A Kentucky domestic-violence data report compiled by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet found assault was the most common domestic violence offense statewide, accounting for 2,556 convictions alongside 425 strangulation convictions.
The Kentucky Attorney General's Office has separately warned that strangulation is a particularly dangerous marker in abusive relationships. In materials on responding to strangulation in Kentucky, the office notes that intimate-partner violence results in approximately 40 deaths in the state annually, and that a victim's risk of being killed by an abuser increases by 750 percent once strangulation has occurred.
