Randy Hamilton

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio -- A 51-year-old man was sentenced Monday after a Lorain County jury found him guilty in his girlfriend's shooting death.

Lorain County Common Pleas Court Judge John Miraldi sentenced Randy Hamilton Monday to 15 and a half years in prison for the Oct. 25, 2016 death of his girlfriend Michelle Ryals, according to Miraldi's Office.

A Lorain County jury acquitted Hamilton of murder last week but was found guilty of reckless homicide, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, having weapons while under disability and receiving stolen property.

Hamilton shot Ryals, 45, in the chest at their home on Avon-Belden Road near Sugar Ridge Road, police said.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that Hamilton shot and killed Ryals out of jealousy and fear of getting kicked out of the house, The Morning Journal reported. Defense attorneys argued the gun fired accidentally.

He called 911 and told a police dispatcher that he shot Ryals.

Officers found Hamilton waiting outside his garage. They found Ryals dead in a bedroom, according to a police report.

Investigators also found a shotgun in the home, the report says.

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