Hamilton County man convicted of killing neighbor sentenced to 24 years to life

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CINCINNATI (WXIX) - A Hamilton County man convicted of shooting and killing his unarmed neighbor has been sentenced to 24 years to life in prison, according to Judge Jennifer L. Branch.

Cole Hornsby, 26, was found guilty in January by a Hamilton County jury of two counts each of murder and felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence, court records show.

Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich released a statement following the sentencing:

“I appreciate the judge’s careful consideration of this case and decision to impose the maximum allowed sentence, as my office requested. This was a tragic and preventable killing. Ted Block should be alive today. While no sentence can bring him back, this ensures the community will be safe from Cole Hornsby for as long as possible.”

The shooting occurred in April 2024 in Hornsby’s neighborhood on Kilby Road in Whitewater Township. Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office deputies say they responded to a call and found 40-year-old Theodore Block dead on the ground, with Hornsby standing next to him.

Witnesses said Hornsby approached Block and the two men began arguing, an affidavit states. Hornsby was armed. Block was not, court records show.

Hornsby told the victim, “‘Take this b----’ and proceeded to pull a gun and shoot Theodore Block multiple times,” a sheriff’s detective wrote in a sworn statement.

Hornsby then hid the gun in his shed, prosecutors wrote in a court filing called the “Bill of Particulars.”

Block’s wife, Krissy, told FOX19 NOW in an interview shortly after her husband’s slaying that she was one of the witnesses. Krissy Block and her husband were watching their grandchildren the night he was killed. She said her husband told Hornsby to put the gun away, but as Block walked toward their home, Hornsby shot him.

Hornsby’s attorneys had asked the court to impose a two-year sentence. They argued the court abused its discretion by admitting evidence from a prior conviction during the two-week trial.

Prosecutors argued Hornsby’s right to a speedy trial was not infringed and that a two-year sentence was not appropriate.

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