Barry Sowders, a resident of Southern Indiana, has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for shooting a police officer in New Albany in May 2023. Sowders pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder in court.
In addition to his previous confession, Sowders has also acknowledged firing shots at the mother of his children. This is the reason behind his second charge of attempted murder. He is set to serve a 30-year sentence for each count consecutively.
On Tuesday, while delivering the sentence, the prosecution presented various Facebook posts made by Sowders, in which he threatened the New Albany police and his ex-girlfriend. Moreover, they also played a recorded jail phone call from three months ago between Sowders and his mother.
According to Sowders, if he were ever released, he would pose a significant threat to society. He even went as far as to describe himself as the devil and issued a warning of potential retribution.
The prosecution aimed for the maximum penalty and came pretty close to achieving it.
According to Ric Hertel, there may not be any closure for the two victims, but this sentencing is a turning point of some sort. He expressed his satisfaction stating that the punishment is fitting for such major crimes. “Sixty years, five suspended, 55 years in the Department of Corrections is a significant amount of time,” he said.
During Tuesday’s court hearing, Sowders addressed the court and expressed that his behavior on the day in question was not reflective of his true character. He took the opportunity to apologize to all those who were affected by his actions.
Today’s sentence can be appealed by Sowders, and his attorney has already indicated their intention to do so.
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