The Case of Kendra Farler

Kendra Mae Farler, a 15-year-old Belmont High School student, was shot and killed inside a Dayton boarding house on 14 April 2024. Her father, Kenneth Paul Farler III, initially claimed that Kendra's autistic, nonverbal stepbrother had accidentally fired the shotgun. Investigators quickly disproved the story, and Farler later admitted responsibility before pleading guilty in 2025.

Kendra Mae Farler was a 15-year-old student at Belmont High School in Dayton, Ohio. Friends and family remembered her as intelligent, creative and caring, with a bright personality and a love of learning. On 14 April 2024, Kendra was inside a boarding house on Bowen Street with her father, Kenneth Paul Farler III, her stepmother and her siblings. According to prosecutors, Kenneth Farler pointed a loaded shotgun at Kendra despite her repeatedly asking him not to. Moments later, the weapon discharged, striking her in the chest. Investigators later stated they did not believe the shooting was accidental. Immediately after the shooting, Farler and Kendra's stepmother told responding officers that Kendra had been shot by her 15-year-old autistic, nonverbal stepbrother. Police quickly determined that the account was false.

Dayton Police responded to the boarding house in the 400 block of Bowen Street shortly after midday on 14 April 2024. Officers found Kendra suffering from a shotgun wound to the chest. Despite immediate CPR and emergency medical treatment, she died at the scene. Investigators recovered multiple firearms from the residence. Evidence collected inside the home contradicted the initial version of events provided by Kenneth Farler and his wife.

Detectives from the Dayton Police Department immediately identified inconsistencies in the statements provided by Kenneth Farler and his wife. Both initially claimed that Kendra's autistic, nonverbal stepbrother had accidentally fired the shotgun. Further interviews and forensic evidence established that this account was false. Investigators determined Kenneth Farler had fired the fatal shot himself. Police later stated that Kendra had pleaded with her father not to point the shotgun at her before she was shot. Farler eventually admitted responsibility for the shooting. A Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted him on charges including involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, child endangering and multiple counts of having weapons while under disability due to his extensive criminal history and prior felony convictions.

On 29 April 2025, Kenneth Paul Farler III pleaded guilty to: - Involuntary manslaughter. - Reckless homicide. - Child endangering. - Twelve counts of having weapons while under disability. During sentencing, the court imposed the maximum available sentence. Farler received 23 to 28 years' imprisonment for Kendra's death. His probation from an earlier cocaine trafficking conviction was also revoked, adding a consecutive 18-month sentence. His total prison sentence became 24 to 28 years.