Inset: Gage Smith (Franklin County Jail). Background: The area in Ohio where Smith killed his girlfriend in January 2025 (Google Maps).
A 30-year-old Ohio man who called police to say he was responsible for his girlfriend's death will spend less than five years in prison after fatally shooting the 32-year-old woman in the head inside their apartment, authorities said.
A Franklin County judge this week ordered Gage Smith to serve six years in a state correctional facility for the 2025 slaying of Autumn Ward, records show. The sentence was handed down after Smith, who was initially charged with murder, pleaded guilty to a lesser count of reckless homicide with a firearm specification and possession of drugs.
According to an incident report, officers with the Columbus Division of Police responded to the 100 block of Chittenden Avenue at approximately 7:21 a.m. on Jan. 7, 2025, regarding a "disturbance." Upon arriving at the address, first responders encountered Smith, whom they described as being "in emotional distress."
Officers entered the apartment and found Ward unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound. Columbus Fire medics pronounced her dead at 7:49 a.m. Investigators quickly identified domestic violence as a possible motive.
According to court documents, Smith was the one who called 911 and told responding officers he was responsible for his girlfriend's death.
At sentencing, Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Carl Aveni imposed a six-year prison term — below the maximum seven years Smith faced under his plea agreement. Additionally, with credit for time already served, Smith will be released in less than five years.
The victim's mother, Karen Ward, sharply criticized the outcome as "not fair" and said that Smith's punishment was a far cry from justice, according to a report from Columbus, Ohio, ABC affiliate WSYX.
"I thought I was told when this happened, he might get 20 years. I thought that's not enough. I do not believe in the court system," she told the station, reiterating that she did not believe the shooting was accidental. "He killed Autumn, let her lay there dead for hours and didn't call for help. He just wanted to get high."
During the sentencing hearing, prosecutors reportedly said the evidence did not support proving that Smith acted with the intent to kill.
"Ultimately, no matter what the sentence is today, Mr. Smith is going to be released as a still relatively young man, and Ms. Ward's promising life was cut short, and it's because of Mr. Smith's reckless handling of a firearm," Assistant Prosecutor Daniel Lenert said in court.
Lenert said Smith had used ketamine the night before the shooting and kept a loaded firearm under a pillow.
Smith's defense attorney, Paul Olah, acknowledged his client's behavior but argued his client did not intend to kill Ward.
"I don't think he would stand here and tell everyone in this room that he was a perfect boyfriend. He knows he wasn't," Olah said. "He knows he wasn't, but I think he also would say he's not a murderer."
Smith addressed the court and apologized to Ward's family.
"I love and care for this remarkable woman, and not a day goes by that I don't miss her," he said. "I never meant for any of this to happen and wish that with all my heart that it hadn't."
He added that he could not expect forgiveness and would "continue to remain accountable for my recklessness, my stupidity, and my complacency."