- Kendra Farler, 15, was shot in the chest and killed on April 14.
- Kenneth Paul Farler III, his father, has been charged in the shooting
- Farler and his wife initially told police that their autistic stepson shot their daughter.
A drug dealing father with an extensive criminal record has been accused of killing his teenage daughter and then trying to blame her death on his autistic stepson.
Kenneth Paul Farler III, 38, was indicted by an Ohio grand jury on Monday in connection with the April 14 shooting death of his 15-year-old daughter Kendra.
Dayton police were called to the 400 block of Bowen Street around 12 noon, where they found Kendra with a gunshot wound to the chest.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, and Farler told police that her autistic and nonverbal 15-year-old stepson had accidentally shot Kendra.
‘This defendant should never be allowed near a firearm and deserves to be in prison. “A completely innocent 15-year-old girl has lost her life at the hands of her father,” said Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck.
Kendra Farler (pictured), 15, was shot to death on April 14, allegedly by her father, who tried to tell police that his autistic stepson shot him.
Kenneth Paul Farler III, 38, was indicted Monday in connection with the shooting death of his 15-year-old daughter.
Police were called to the 400 block of Bowen Street around 12 p.m., where they found Kendra with a gunshot wound to the chest.
‘This defendant was on parole at the time of the shooting, having been convicted of cocaine trafficking less than a month ago. ‘He has been arrested approximately 40 times in the last 20 years and had previously been sentenced to prison.’
Farler was indicted on multiple charges, including involuntary manslaughter, reckless homicide, child endangerment and carrying weapons while disabled.
He is being held at the Montgomery County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
‘To say it was a tragedy is an understatement. I don’t know how I could describe the picture to you, but you have a father who lives in a boarding house that is very small, actually in one room, where this murder occurred, along with three other children and the mother, Dayton. Police Department Maj. Brian Johns said at a news conference.
Johns said both Kendra’s father and stepmother told police that the brother had shot her, but those statements turned out to be false.
‘We have excellent investigators here at the Dayton Police Department, and they knew right away that those stories were not consistent. And after further questioning, I admitted to the crime,” Johns said.
Kendra’s funeral was held on Monday and her family described her as “our little shining star, who left us too soon.”
Farler was on parole at the time of the shooting, having been convicted of cocaine trafficking less than a month earlier. He has been arrested 40 times in the last 20 years.
“Even our victim was asking him not to point a shotgun at him before his death, so that’s not an accident.”
The teen’s stepmother has not been charged and is cooperating with the investigation.
Kendra’s funeral was held on Monday and her family described her as “our little shining star, who left us too soon” in her obituary.
“Kendra was the heart and soul of our family and embodied a spirit full of joy, curiosity and creativity,” the obituary said.
‘As a student, she was not just an apprentice, but a little teacher, always ready to share her new knowledge and discoveries. ‘Her laughter was contagious, her boundless energy and her kindness a beacon of warmth to everyone around her.’