In the early morning hours of December 29, 2017, a domestic dispute in Clarkson, Kentucky, turned fatal, ending the life of 31-year-old Stephen Waninger. A white male originally from Indiana, Waninger was living at a residence on Grayson Springs Road with his girlfriend, 21-year-old Kaitlyn Houchin, and her father, Billy Joe Houchin. An altercation broke out between Waninger and Kaitlyn Houchin, prompting her father to intervene.
The situation escalated into a physical confrontation
between Waninger and the 48-year-old Billy Joe Houchin. During this struggle, Houchin shot Waninger in the chest, causing his death at the scene. Kentucky State Police launched a death investigation, and initially, no charges were filed against Houchin.
Following a presentation of the case to the Grayson County Grand Jury by the Commonwealth Attorney, Billy Joe Houchin was indicted on a charge of second-degree manslaughter. After a trial that lasted a day and a half, a jury found Houchin guilty of the lesser charge of reckless homicide in March 2019. In April of that year, he was sentenced to five years in prison.
