Stephen Ritter II, 50, of Canal Winchester, Ohio, was shot and killed in his home on August 27, 2020. Deputies responding in the early morning after a report of domestic violence found him deceased from a gunshot wound. Investigators took his 22-year-old son, Stephen L. Ritter III, into custody at the scene.

Ritter III was charged with aggravated murder and told deputies he had shot his father while he was sleeping. The Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office reviewed the case and secured an indictment that included two murder counts and a weapons specification. As part of a later plea agreement, Ritter III pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter with a gun specification; the second murder count was dismissed and he received a 14-year prison sentence, with eligibility for judicial release after eight-and-a-half years. Defense statements noted Ritter III struggled with mental health issues and had access to firearms.

This is a family tragedy rooted in domestic violence; what can readers who knew the family or the neighborhood add about Stephen Ritter II or circumstances that might help explain what led to that August morning?