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Inset left: Damien Hebbeler (Green County Detention Center). Inset right: Kylie Marie Weitz (Obituary). Background: A cracked pavement road leads to the residence where Hebbeler killed Weitz in Garrison, Ky. (Google Maps).
A man from Kentucky is now facing the grim prospect of spending many years in prison after being convicted of fatally shooting his girlfriend with a so-called “special bullet,” as reported by state authorities this week.
Damien Hebbeler, aged 23, was pronounced guilty of intentional murder by a Lewis County jury on Tuesday. This verdict relates to the tragic death of 20-year-old Kylie Marie Weitz in August 2023, according to a statement from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.
“Today’s verdict ensures justice is served and acknowledges the significance of Kylie Marie Weitz’s life,” remarked Attorney General Russell Coleman. “In Kentucky, we treat domestic violence offenses with utmost seriousness and will persist in holding perpetrators accountable.”
The incident unfolded on August 9, 2023, at a home on Willis Lane in Garrison, a small community situated just south of the Ohio border, about 100 miles northeast of Lexington.
Kentucky State Police were alerted around 6 p.m. by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office regarding an unresponsive woman, as noted in arrest records shared by the Ledger Independent.
The sheriff himself told state troopers at Post 8 that the victim had sustained a gunshot wound to her face. In the initial 911 call, the caller reportedly said Weitz had accidentally shot herself.
When troopers arrived at the house, Weitz was lying on the floor near the front door frame and pronounced dead at the scene.
Three hours after the first 911 call was placed, Hebbeler was arrested and charged with Weitz’s murder. Investigators said the man quickly admitted to pointing a loaded pistol at the woman’s face, squeezing the trigger, and firing the fatal bullet that took her life.
Hebbeler was first detained in the Greenup County Detention Center and then transferred to the Lewis County Jail as the investigation continued and the legal process played out over the next few years.
In September 2023, the now-convicted man was formally indicted for Weitz’s murder, according to the Lewis County Herald.
Later, the defendant had even more to say about it.
During his trial, Hebbeler admitted to carrying a “special bullet” with him, authorities said. Investigators determined this same round was the one used to shoot Weitz in the face at close range and kill her.
The murder did not come entirely without warning.
“Less than a year before the shooting, the defendant made statements that he wanted to kill Weitz,” the AG’s press release reads.
An obituary for the woman remembered her fondly as a vibrant member of her community with a close and extended family as well as numerous friends who will all “sadly miss her.”
“Kylie was a waitress at Buffalo Wild Wings,” the eulogy reads. “She enjoyed cheerleading, running track, playing volleyball, working as a life guard, traveling, going out to eat and being with her friends.”
The killer’s jury recommended a 50-year sentence, which will be taken into consideration by the judge during sentencing slated for June 5.