Ex-cop shot wife and left her to die, then took their toddler, IN officials say
_fitted.png "Hannah Lynch survived being shot by her husband and left outside in freezing temperatures in 2022, according to Indiana officials.")
Aformer police officer in Indiana was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison after prosecutors said he shot his wife in the head, took off with their 23-month-old daughter in freezing temperatures then shot a deputy, news outlets report.
Gregory Guilfoyle was sentenced to 100 years in prison on May 12, WKRC reported. The sentencing stems from a series of events that took place December 22 and 23, 2022.
McClatchy News reached out to Guilfoyle’s attorney for comment May 14 but did not immediately hear back.
His attorney, Judson McMillin, said after the sentencing that Guilfoyle plans to appeal, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. McMillin had argued that Guilfoyle should be released on home confinement due to his disabilities.
The night of the incident, Guilfoyle was walking down a road near Brookville in single-digit temperatures holding his 23-month-old daughter, who was wearing only a onesie, when a snowplow driver spotted him, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The driver called the police, the outlet reported.
That’s when Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Arin Bowers arrived and Guilfoyle “provoked a gunfire exchange” while holding his daughter, according to an April 16 news release from Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Chris Huerkamp.
A bullet struck Bowers’ bulletproof vest, and Guilfoyle was seriously injured, prosecutors said.
Police dash cam footage obtained by the Cincinnati Enquirer shows Bowers approach Guilfoyle on a snowy road, while he’s holding his daughter, before Guilfoyle pulls out a gun and points it at Bowers. The two begin shooting at each other before Guilfoyle falls to the ground and Bowers picks up the toddler and asks her if she’s OK.
The 23-month-old was not injured in the shooting but suffered from frostbite, according to prosecutors.
Shortly after, deputies went to Guilfoyle’s home to conduct a welfare check. That’s when they found Guilfoyle’s wife “barely-conscious” in the front yard with a gunshot wound to the head, Huerkamp said.
Prosecutors said Gregory Guilfoyle shot his wife, referred to by prosecutors as Hannah Guilfoyle but by a family GoFundMe and the Cincinnati Enquirer as Hannah Lynch, then dragged her outside, where she was found “almost completely frozen.”
“He left her for dead,” Huerkamp said.
Gregory Guilfoyle is a former Greenhills, Ohio, police officer, WKRC reported.
Hannah Lynch survived her injuries; however, she suffered long-lasting effects, including losing several toes due to frostbite, WKRC reported, citing court records. She was pregnant when she was shot and lost the baby, she said, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Guilfoyle was charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated battery, domestic battery with a deadly weapon, neglect of a dependent, battery with a deadly weapon and pointing a firearm, prosecutors said.
A taped interview was played at trial and Guilfoyle was heard saying he experienced “a break from reality” during the incident, prosecutors said.
However, at sentencing, Lynch said he was an abuser and their relationship was a “facade,” the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
“My daughter and I are safe now and we and my family can move forward,” she said after the sentencing, according to the outlet. “Justice has finally been brought to this after two years of waiting.”
Guilfoyle initially pleaded not guilty due to insanity, but the jury found him “guilty but mentally ill” on all eight counts, prosecutors said.
This means he was sentenced the same as someone found guilty but will be further evaluated and treated for mental illness while incarcerated.
This story was originally published May 14, 2025 at 3:53 PM with the headline "Ex-cop shot wife and left her to die, then took their toddler, IN officials say."
