Gallia County Prosecuting Attorney, Jason D. Holdren, announces that Joyceann Louise Ruane, age 25, of Crown City, Ohio, was convicted today in the Gallia County Common Pleas Court of Aggravated Murder, a special category felony; a firearm specification, indicating Ruane used a firearm to facilitate the offense of Aggravated Murder; and Having Weapons While Under Disability, a felony of the third degree. These convictions result from the July 23, 2020, shooting and subsequent death of Ruane’s 16-month-old child.
Ruane is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Margaret Evans in the Gallia County Common Pleas Court on Wednesday, February 17, 2021. Ruane could face the following maximum sentences: life without parole for the Aggravated Murder conviction; a 3-year prison term for the firearm specification; and up to a 3-year prison term for the Having Weapons While Under Disability conviction. The State of Ohio will be seeking the maximum penalty for the Defendant – life in prison without parole.
