Judge Hands Down Max Sentence on Remillard Murder

Knox County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard Wetzel today sentenced Kevin Remillard to life with a possibility of parole after 21 years on his murder and evidence tampering convictions. The sentence represents the maximum penalty in the June 2017 shooting of his cousin, Nick Remillard, in Gambier.

Under Ohio law, a murder conviction carries a mandatory penalty of fifteen years to life. A Knox County jury found Kevin Remillard, 49, guilty of murder with a firearm specification and guilty of tampering with evidence at trial in July. The firearm specification also carries a mandatory three-year prison term that must be served consecutively to the murder sentence.

Prosecutor McConville urged the court to impose the maximum of three years on the evidence tampering charge and to have that sentence run consecutively to the others. Judge Wetzel adopted the recommendation in his sentence. Remillard will be 69 when he is first eligible for parole, having served more than 400 days in the Knox County Jail since his arrest.

“This sentence provides the only remedy that the criminal justice system can provide for the tragic, senseless killing of a young man who was only entering adulthood,” Prosecutor McConville said. “But the system cannot compensate the loss the Remillard family has experienced.”

Nick’s mother, Melanie; his brother, Matthew; and his sister-in-law Emily delivered statements to the court prior to sentencing.