In May of 2012, a fatal encounter in northwest Oklahoma City led to the tragic death of 50-year-old Janica Shoals. The woman's life was cut short by a gunshot, an act of violence that would later be the subject of a murder conviction. The circumstances of their meeting were acknowledged by the man who would eventually be found responsible, though he denied his role in her death.
The investigation into the shooting death of Janica Shoals led to the arrest and subsequent conviction of Ryan
Cody Gothard. Despite his claims of innocence in the actual killing, a jury found him guilty of her murder. Following the conviction, he was sentenced to serve a life term in prison for his crime.
In the years following his conviction, Gothard sought to have the court's decision overturned. He filed appeals, arguing that a defense witness had been improperly prevented from testifying during his trial and that a hearing regarding the prosecution's firearms expert should have been conducted. However, in March of 2015, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals ultimately rejected these appeals, upholding the original conviction and life sentence.
