Jurors heard that Damien Hebbeler carried a “special bullet” and used that round in the killing of Kylie Marie Weitz, prosecutors said.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The testimony that stood out most in Damien Hebbeler’s murder trial was his own statement that he carried a “special bullet” and that the same round killed his girlfriend, Kylie Marie Weitz, according to Kentucky officials after a Lewis County jury convicted him on March 24.
That detail mattered because the central issue in the case was intent. Prosecutors said Hebbeler did not fire by mistake when Weitz was killed in Garrison on Aug. 9, 2023. They said he intentionally shot her at close range, and they paired the “special bullet” testimony with evidence that he had made earlier statements about wanting to kill her. The jury found him guilty of intentional murder and recommended a 50-year sentence, leaving a June 5 hearing as the next step.
Public summaries released after the verdict presented the evidence as layered and cumulative. The attorney general’s office said Hebbeler told the court that he carried a “special bullet” with him and that it was the same round used to shoot Weitz in the face. Prosecutors also relied on what investigators said Hebbeler told them during an interview after the shooting: that he pointed a loaded pistol at Weitz’s face and pulled the trigger. Standing alone, either statement would be serious. Together, they gave jurors both an account of the act itself and a reason to see preparation behind it. The public record now available does not include a full trial transcript, so some details about how those statements were challenged in court remain outside view.
The prosecution also added history. According to the attorney general’s office, investigators found that less than a year before the shooting, Hebbeler had made statements saying he wanted to kill Weitz. That placed the shooting inside a broader timeline rather than a single violent moment. It also helped explain why state officials described the case as a domestic violence prosecution after the verdict. Attorney General Russell Coleman said the jury’s decision affirmed that Weitz’s life mattered and showed the state would hold domestic violence offenders accountable. The office said Assistant Attorney General Tony Skeans and Special Prosecutions Unit Executive Director Tim Cocanougher prosecuted the case for the Commonwealth after Kentucky State Police investigated it.
The way the case first surfaced in public looked very different from the way it ended at trial. On the night of the shooting, law enforcement agencies were called to a residence on Willis Lane in Garrison after a report involving an unresponsive woman. Early reports said the initial 911 information described a self-inflicted wound. Troopers and local officers instead found Weitz dead inside the house with a gunshot wound to the face, and the inquiry turned quickly toward Hebbeler. Local reporting from August 2023 said he was arrested about three hours after the first 911 call. That rapid change in the official understanding of the scene became one of the most important facts surrounding the case, because it showed how quickly investigators rejected the idea of an accident.
Outside court filings and press statements, Weitz’s life appeared in memorial notices that gave the case a fuller human frame. She was 20 at the time of her death and was remembered as a daughter, sister and grandchild who enjoyed cheerleading, track, volleyball, travel and time with friends. Obituary notices also described her work as a waitress and lifeguard. Those details did not answer the legal questions before jurors, but they explained why the verdict carried strong meaning in a small northeastern Kentucky community. When prosecutors and victim advocates spoke after the verdict, they were responding not only to a conviction on paper but also to a death that had already been deeply personal and public for family members and neighbors.
From a procedural standpoint, the March 24 verdict resolved guilt but not the final sentence. The jury recommended 50 years after convicting Hebbeler of intentional murder, a Class A felony. The judge is scheduled to sentence him June 5. Until that hearing happens and a final judgment is entered, the case remains in an important but unfinished stage. Any appeal would come later. The current public record also does not show whether either side plans additional motions before sentencing, though the date announced by the attorney general’s office suggests the case is moving on its normal track.
The story’s force came from how the evidence fit together. Investigators described a close-range shooting. Prosecutors added an admission about pointing the gun and pulling the trigger. Trial officials highlighted testimony about a bullet Hebbeler said he had kept with him. Then they placed those facts next to earlier statements about wanting Weitz dead. Each piece served a separate function, and together they gave jurors a narrative of intent strong enough to support a murder conviction. By the end of the trial, the most memorable phrase in the case was also the one the state used to show that the killing had been thought about before it happened.
Hebbeler remains convicted of intentional murder, and the next court milestone is the June 5 sentencing hearing in Lewis County.
Author note: Last updated April 18, 2026.