Child killer to be released from prison
WARSAW, Ind. (WANE) – A northern Indiana teenager who was 12-years-old when he helped kill his friend’s stepfather will be released from prison within the year, a judge ruled Friday.
During a hearing inside the Kosciusko County Courthouse on Friday, Paul Gingerich, now 18 years old, received a modified sentence of 20 years from the initial 25-year sentence he received in 2010 for the fatal shooting of Phillip Danner, 49. Now, Gingerich will serve 300 days in adult prison, then be transferred to the Allen County Community Correction and Home Detention Program where he will serve out the remainder of that 20 years on home detention. From there, Gingerich will be placed on adult probation for 10 years.
Gingerich is believed to be the youngest person in Indiana to be sentenced as an adult. He helped 15-year-old Colt Lundy shoot and kill Lundy’s stepfather in 2010 at his home near Lake Wawasee. Each boy fired two shots.
Both boys were sentenced to 25 years in prison. Gingerich has been serving his time in juvenile detention.
He turned 18 in February. According to “Paul’s Law,” which was named after him, he was able to be considered for alternative sentences.