Paula Louise Wells was a 56-year-old woman from Paintsville, Kentucky. Born in Mount Clemens, Michigan, she was a mother and grandmother. She was preceded in death by a son and a daughter, and is survived by another son, her father, siblings, and two grandchildren. Her life was violently ended on Friday, September 9, 2022, in an act that also claimed the lives of two of her relatives.
That morning, around 10:40 a.m., law enforcement in Johnson County received a call about a shooting at a
home on Depot Road in Paintsville. When Kentucky State Police troopers and other officers arrived, they discovered three people who had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Paula Wells, Richard Morman, also 56, and 36-year-old Myrtle Pack were all pronounced deceased at the scene by the Johnson County Coroner’s Office.
The investigation immediately pointed to a single suspect, 21-year-old Ronnie Pack. The incident was a family tragedy; Ronnie Pack was the husband of Myrtle Pack, Richard Morman was his uncle, and Paula Wells was Myrtle's aunt. After the shooting, Pack fled the residence, triggering a manhunt that involved multiple agencies and aircraft. As a safety precaution while the search was underway, the Paintsville Independent and Johnson County school districts were placed on lockdown.
Approximately 90 minutes after the initial call, law enforcement located Pack on Greentown Lane. During the attempt to take him into custody, an exchange of gunfire took place, and a Kentucky State Police trooper shot Pack once in the arm. He was transported to a nearby hospital for his injury. After being treated and released, Ronnie Pack was arrested and initially charged with three counts of murder and one count of first-degree wanton endangerment. The wanton endangerment charge stemmed from Pack allegedly raising his handgun toward a detective.
In October 2022, a Johnson County grand jury returned an indictment against Ronnie Pack, charging him with three counts of murder and one count of first-degree wanton endangerment. The case proceeded through the legal system, and on September 13, 2024, Pack pleaded guilty to three counts of murder for the deaths of his wife, his uncle, and his wife's aunt. As part of the plea, the Commonwealth’s Attorney recommended a sentence of life in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years. A final sentencing hearing was scheduled for October 28, 2024. The case was officially resolved with his guilty plea in September 2024.
