VAN WERT, Ohio (WLIO) – A Rockford man has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the 2023 murder of a Van Wert woman.
Ryan Houser, 39, was found guilty of murder by a Van Wert County judge in the death of Barbara Ganger. Houser pleaded no contest to the charge. As part of a plea agreement, the remaining charges he faced were dismissed.
Houser later attempted to withdraw his plea prior to sentencing, but the judge denied his request. On Labor Day in 2023, Van Wert Police officers responded to Ganger’s apartment for a welfare check. They found her dead from gunshot wounds to the stomach and eye. Houser is expected to appeal the outcome of his case.
