One family argued for a maximum 25-year sentence. The other asked for a minimum 15-year sentence. A Hamilton County judge landed in the middle Monday, sentencing 58-year-old Glen Donaldson to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting his son-in-law in the back of the head in 2016.
Donaldson’s defense said he had a strong, supportive family, an excellent work history and no prior criminal record. They pushed for 15 years for the Dec. 29, 2016, fatal shooting of Kenneth Adam Levi, 39, with attorney Ben McGowan repeating the self-defense argument that Donaldson testified to at trial in May. Though Donaldson said Levi was at the kitchen sink and turned to threaten him with a knife, a jury convicted Donaldson of second-degree murder, and he faced 15 to 25 years as punishment during his sentencing hearing Monday.
Prosecutors pushed for the maximum punishment, calling two of Levi’s relatives to the witness stand. They said officers never found a knife on scene and reiterated that Donaldson shot Levi from three to four inches away – inconsistent with a self-defense argument. According to a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office affidavit, Donaldson had gone to Levi’s residence on Niles Terrace to pick up a bed rail, as Donaldson’s daughter and Levi were going through a divorce. Before trial, Donaldson faced a first-degree murder charge.
Glen Donaldson“We would ask you to please give him the maximum sentence,” Susan Levi, the victim’s mother, said to Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Don Poole. “It was very hard to know he was free [on bail] for one year. If he gets the maximum sentence, maybe we can all rest knowing he will be locked up forever.”
Witness Brian Worley said Levi, his younger brother, wasn’t violent and enjoyed magic, science and the pursuit of knowledge. Worley said Levi always showed love, even when Donaldson’s family members accused him of hitting rock bottom with drug use. According to a report from Chattanoogan.com, Donaldson testified in May that Levi’s demeanor began to change after he asked Levi if he thought his drug use could have anything to do with deformities of he and his wife’s stillborn son.