ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (Court TV) — A former U.S. Army servicemember was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury found him guilty of manslaughter in the shooting death of his wife, who was also a ranking officer in the military.
A Kentucky jury convicted Jordan Henning in the death of Sgt. 1st Class Ashley Henning in their Hardin County home on June 26, 2023. That day was Ashley’s 37th birthday, and the couple had hosted friends to celebrate.
Jordan Henning testifies in his murder trial. (Court TV)
Prosecutors charged Jordan with intentional murder, arguing he harbored “hatred in his heart” for his wife over their strained relationship. They relied on home security footage from inside the Henning home that showed Jordan shooting Ashley four times, going into another room to reload his gun, then returning to the kitchen to shoot her one more time and spit on her body.
Jordan testified in his defense and told the jury he “broke” during a fight with Ashley after allegedly enduring years of abuse from her. Henning’s defense claimed he suffered from an extreme emotional disturbance that impaired his judgement. In Kentucky, an “extreme emotional disturbance” can be used as a defense that reduces a murder charge to manslaughter.
The 12-person jury appeared to side with Jordan’s defense and found him guilty of the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter. The jurors later sentenced Jordan to 20 years in prison in the trial’s penalty phase, the maximum sentence for the offense. He must complete 85% of his sentence before he’s eligible for parole consideration. At a sentencing hearing on May 6, a judge confirmed the sentence.
Nest video camera footage from inside the Henning home showed the couple arguing as they cleaned up after the party. One of Ashley’s sons ran to a neighbor’s house for help as the couple clashed over putting away a Slip ‘N Slide. The neighbor, Jimmy Watts, testified that Jordan threatened him and put him in a headlock when he tried to intervene, prompting Watts to flee and call 911.
Prosecutors and the defense both said Watts’ departure was a tipping point that led to Jordan grabbing a gun from the upstairs bedroom and pulling it on Ashley. Jordan testified he feared for his life because he heard Watts say he was going to get his gun, an allegation Watts and another witness denied. Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Eric Carr argued Jordan went for the gun to punish Ashley for their neighbor’s call to 911, which, in all likelihood, could have ended his military career.
The videos showed Jordan shooting Ashley as she sat in a chair on their patio, pleading for him to “be a man” and put down the gun. After Ashley stumbled through the back door and onto the kitchen floor, the video showed Jordan’s gun jamming as he tried to continue shooting. He ran to another room and reloaded before returning to the kitchen and shooting Ashley one more time.
Now, Jordan stands to face a military court for his wife’s death.
DAILY TRIAL UPDATES
SENTENCING – 5/6/25
- VIDEO: KY v. Jordan Henning – Sentencing
- Jordan addressed the court.
- John Williams, Ashley’s cousin, delivered a victim impact statement.
- The judge sentenced Jordan to 20 years.
DAY 6 – 3/20/25
- The jury reached its verdict after hearing closing arguments and reviewing portions of kitchen camera footage showing the shooting.
- The 12-person jury deliberated for four hours before convicting Jordan of the lesser offense of first-degree manslaughter Thursday afternoon, suggesting the jurors might have sided with Jordan’s claim that he “snapped” in a moment of extreme emotional disturbance brought on by years of a toxic marriage that included allegations of physical abuse and emotional neglect.
- The jury opted to stay late to get through sentencing and spent just 10 minutes deliberating his punishment before giving him the most time possible for manslaughter: 20 years.
- Jordan Henning’s 13-year-old daughter sobbed (off camera) as she described the “destructive” impact of losing her adoptive mother, whom she described as “one of the greatest people I knew.”
- Ashley Henning’s cousin, Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer John Williams, appeared to address the jury as he said, “you’re cowards, every single one of you,” lamenting the “unspeakable” tragedy of his cousin’s death and the injustice it represented to him as a servicemember of 22 years.
- The comment prompted a strong rebuke from Judge Ashlock, who urged Williams not to “sully” his name with further outbursts and threatened him with arrest.
- Williams explained that Ashley lost her zeal for birthday parties after the death of their grandmother, who raised them both and used to share birthday celebrations with Ashley .
- Williams yelled, “Look at me!” at Jordan as he stormed out of the courtroom, banging the doors behind him.
- WATCH: ‘Cowards’: Victim Ashley Henning’s Cousin Calls Out Jurors, Judge Responds
- Jordan’s parents and sister testified for him, with his sister and mother offering tearful apologies to Ashley’s family, saying they missed her and loved her.
- Prosecutor Eric Carr, visibly distressed and struggling for words at times, asked the jury for the maximum sentence of 22 years “in the interests of justice.”
- Ashley Henning’s friends and family left the courthouse in distress, decrying what they considered a lenient sentence for the man who killed her, husband Jordan Henning.
DAY 5 – 3/19/25
- Defense rested this morning without calling more witnesses.
- State called two rebuttal witnesses, including Dr. James Anderson, a court-appointed forensic psychologist [not an expert] who evaluated JH for competency to stand trial and reviewed investigative reports for possible signs to support a defense of extreme emotional disturbance.
- Anderson testified he did not find evidence to support EED under a legal standard, specifically pointing out the absence of “nonspeculative” or concrete triggering event as required under its definition.
- However, Anderson repeatedly stated that because EED is a legal term and not a psychological construct, it’s up to the jury to decide if they found evidence of EED.
- Jason Bouchert — Henning neighbor and former friend/drinking buddy of Jordan — was recalled to the stand to testify that he did not see fellow neighbor Jimmy Watts return to the Henning home with a gun after he tussled with Jordan in the backyard.
DAY 4 – 3/17/25
- An emotional Jordan Henning took the stand in his defense and apologized for shooting his wife to death before recounting domestic violence allegations against her and the events leading up to the shooting.
- WATCH: Jordan Henning Takes the Stand: “I Destroyed Lives That Day”
- Jordan said he grabbed his gun to defend himself from a neighbor who said he was going to get his gun, then “broke” in a chaotic fog of rage and did not remember shooting Ashley.
- “I don’t know who that was,” Jordan said of the version of himself he saw in home security videos. “I’ve never been like that before.”
- Henning said signs of physical abuse started soon after they married in 2016 and continued throughout the marriage, including at least one instance of Ashley grabbing him by the testicles against his protests during sex.
- In the moments leading up the shooting, Jordan said Ashley grabbed him by his “manhood” as they fought, prompting him to grab her wrist and restrain her, at which point his neighbor Jimmy Watts showed up and tried to intervene, allegedly threatening to pull a gun on Jordan.
- Henning’s composure withered as special prosecutor Jim Lesousky walked him through 20 minutes of video leading up to the shooting with the audio amplified so the jury could hear the couple arguing through headphones. By the end of cross, Henning was sobbing, head buried in his hands.
- The prosecutor pointed out moments when Ashley tried to deescalate the situation, including one of her last statements that he “be a man” and put down his gun so they could talk.
- The prosecutor – in a sort of monologue that made me wonder why the defense wasn’t objecting — suggested Henning went for his gun as soon as he realized police were on the way and his military career would be over, then shot Ashley in spite.
- On redirect, Henning struggled between tears to read aloud texts with his wife in which he pleaded for her love and respect.
- WATCH: Jordan Henning Takes the Stand: “I Destroyed Lives That Day”
- Army National Guard psychologist Dr. Justin Anderson testified for the defense that Jordan experienced an extreme emotional disturbance likely precipitated by a combination of factors — his fight with his wife, their ongoing marital strife, the altercation with his neighbor, alcohol, and possibly testosterone he was taking – that precluded him from sound judgement and affected his actions.
- Jordan understood the wrongfulness of his actions, Anderson testified, making meaning he was not insane or suffering from mental illness. His military training may have kicked in, specifically, his instincts to make sure an enemy who was down “stayed down.”
- Jordan’s friend and former squad leader, Braxton McCoy, testified that Jordan told him about his relationship issues. It was McCoy’s impression that the marriage was “toxic.”
- Prosecutors called the medical examiner out of order to testify to Ashley’s cause of death: multiple gunshot wounds to the torso that entered her front and back.
DAY 3 – 3/14/25
- Prosecutors rested their case in chief after playing video from kitchen and living room Nest cameras in the Henning home of Jordan Henning shooting wife Ashley after an argument over a Slip and Slide escalated into allegations over marital strife.
- After resting, prosecutors made an unusual request to “reopen” its case on Monday to call the medical examiner to testify to cause of death to guard against appellate issue. Prosecutor Eric Carr made the request after the defense repeatedly objected to a detective testifying to cause of death from an autopsy report, citing it in their motion for a redirected verdict as insufficient proof of cause of death.
- Defense called 4 witnesses who knew Jordan from Fort Knox – including two retired high-ranking sergeants – to testify to his reputation for honesty and nonviolence.
- WATCH: Military Wife Murder Trial: Day 3 Recap
DAY 2 – 3/13/25
- The Hennings’ 13-year-old daughter took the stand (off camera, with audio) and described what she heard and saw the night her father shot her mother from her upstairs bedroom, where she was recovering from pink eye.
- Judge Ashlock prevented the teen from testifying about allegations of physical abuse that prosecutor Eric Carr said she disclosed for the first time hours before she took the stand. The defense called the last-minute disclosure “trial by ambush” and argued the allegations would unfairly prejudice their client.
- Ashley’s fellow soccer mom friend, Janie Savat, and her husband, Brandon Savat, testified to Jordan’s complaints that Ashley would not have sex with him and other signs of marital discord. But said they never witnessed signs of physical abuse and did not suspect Ashley was in danger from Jordan – not even as they left the home the night of the shooting after seeing Jordan grab Ashley by the neck.
- WATCH: Friend: Jordan Henning Claimed He Could Kill And Blame PTSD Or Rage
- WATCH: Friend: ‘I’ve Seen What Those Children Went Through, Unlike You!’
- WATCH: Victim’s Friend to Jordan Henning’s Lawyer: ‘I AM Answering the Question!’
- It was Janie Savat who proposed celebrating Ashley with an impromptu birthday party despite Ashley’ wariness of the occasion. Janie’s fiery turn on the stand included tearful recollections of her friend, digs at the defense for trying to “to get [Jordan] off on an insanity plea,” and allegations that Jordan joked about claiming PTSD or the effects of testosterone if he ever got in trouble for killing someone.
- Jordan’s former friend and neighbor, Jimmy Watts, returned to the stand and described what prosecutors called Jordan’s a “top 10 kill list” consisting of people Jordan “deemed a threat or had supplies he could use” in an apocalypse. Watts said he didn’t take the list seriously even though the topic made him uncomfortable, especially when Jordan brought up his family, saying his oldest son would be the only one to survive an apocalypse because “he would pull his weight.”
- WATCH: Military Wife Murder Trial: Day 2 Recap
DAY 1 – 3/12/25
- Jordan Henning shuddered in his seat and bowed his head as his lawyers played police body camera video of him shrieking and crying during his arrest:
- He lamented his actions and begged deputies to kill him for what he’d done, saying “she just kept hitting me and I couldn’t take it no more” and other allegations of Ashley “hurting” and “beating” him over the years.
- The jury only saw about 5 seconds of the 10-minute video in which Jordan said “just fucking kill me” and did not hear any of his abuse allegations.
- Both sides delivered opened statements:
- Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Eric Carr said the jury would see security video from inside the couple’s home showing the shooting and the events leading up to it, from Jordan screaming at Ashley about how she “dismissed” him in front of guests and didn’t love him to Ashley’s pleas for him to lower his gun before he opened fire on her while she was seated at a kitchen table. As Ashley tried to flee, Jordan shot her again, Carr said, the spat on her body and said it was her fault.
- Defense lawyer Robert Eggert said Jordan Henning “broke” after allegedly enduring years of verbal, emotional and physical abuse from wife Ashley, who was older and outranked him in the U.S. Army, making Jordan fearful of losing his job and their children if he reported her. He “goes completely over the edge and loses it” at the birthday party after she squeezed his genitals – something she allegedly did often as part her abuse, according to Eggert – leading to a fight during which neighbors showed up, making Jordan fear his wife may harm him.
- Neighbor and former friend of Jordan James (Jimmy) Watts testified about trying to intervene in the verbal altercation after one of the Henning children ran to his home for help. After Jordan forced him out of the house, Watts said he called 911 and tried to deescalate the situation from outside, which is where he was when gunshots rang out. He went inside the house after Jordan took off in his car and found Ashley’s body.
- Neighbor and former friend of Jordan Jason Bouchert testified about arriving at the Henning home and joining Watts outside as Jordan yelled at them to leave from inside the house and started counting down. On cross, he tried to distance himself from statements he made to police about the couple’s strained relationship and that Jordan was “one of the greatest guys in the world.” He agreed that he said he never knew Jordan to be violent.
