A Glasgow man accused of gunning down a woman inside a Park City home last year while two children were present has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge, avoiding a murder trial but still facing a recommended two decades behind bars. Thomas Joseph Orlando, 40, entered his plea on Oct. 28 in Barren County Circuit Court to first-degree manslaughter and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
The plea closes out more than a year of court proceedings that began after Brittney Harper was found dead in a Park City home on Sept. 4, 2025, following a call to Kentucky State Police about a shooting, according to WCLU Radio. Two children were in the home when Orlando shot and killed Harper, the station reported. A detective testified at a preliminary hearing that two juveniles were present at the time and that one of them called 911 to report that Harper had been shot by “T.J.,” according to the Bowling Green Daily News.
From Murder Charge to Manslaughter Plea
Orlando was originally charged with murder under a domestic-violence designation along with the two wanton-endangerment counts, a charge first reported by Glasgow News 1 after his arrest. That September 2025 report put his age at 39 at the time and described a $1 million cash bond. The case was forwarded to a grand jury for possible indictment later that month, per the same Bowling Green Daily News account, and a separate report from WBKO similarly noted the case was headed to a grand jury for consideration of an indictment. By the time Orlando appeared back in Barren Circuit Court more than a year later, the Commonwealth had moved to amend the original murder-domestic violence charge down to first-degree manslaughter, the station's report notes. Orlando then entered his guilty plea to that reduced charge and the two wanton-endangerment counts, according to the same account. He reached the plea after mediation and advice from attorneys Candace Hill and Lauren Hunter, with Commonwealth's Attorney John Gardner representing the prosecution.
Court Accepts Plea, Delays Sentencing
Barren County Circuit Court found that Orlando's plea was voluntary and supported by a factual basis, and determined that he understood both the charges against him and the rights he was waiving by pleading guilty, per the court order described by the station. The court accepted the plea but postponed formal sentencing pending completion of a presentence investigation report, which Kentucky's Division of Probation and Parole must prepare before a sentencing decision can be made. Orlando has been ordered to cooperate with that investigation.
Prosecutors have recommended a 20-year prison term on the manslaughter count, with five years on each of the two wanton-endangerment counts running concurrently with that sentence, bringing the recommended total to 20 years, along with a $1,000 fine and court costs, the station reported. That recommendation is not a final sentence, and the court has not yet ruled on what term Orlando will actually serve. First-degree manslaughter in Kentucky is codified under KRS 507.030.
Restrictions and What Comes Next
Under the terms described in the court order, Orlando is barred from any direct or indirect contact with the victims and their families. The order also provides for forfeiture of the weapon, ammunition and cellphone that were seized in connection with the case, and the court is expected to determine restitution for funeral and burial expenses at sentencing. Orlando remains in custody pending the court's ruling.
A hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. in Barren County Circuit Court. The outcome of that hearing has not yet been determined in the available record.
