Sumner Newcows report — The Sumner County jury has declared Brad Aue guilty of voluntary manslaughter. The verdict was handed down at 4 p.m. this afternoon.

Aue will be sentenced on Thursday, Sept. 19 in Sumner County District Court.

Sumner County Attorney Kerwin Spencer said Aue could serve anywhere from 55 to 71 months in prison. A lot of this depends on Aue’s previous criminal record. He has already served 14 months since the crime which occurred on May 24, 2018.

The voluntary manslaughter conviction is not what the county attorney was hoping for. He has been seeking a second-degree murder conviction. Spencer said if he was found guilty of second-degree murder he would probably be serving twice as long. 

The verdict was read at 4 p.m. today, a little more than four hours after the jury was sent into deliberation.

Aue was accused of intentionally killing Sierra Craft without premeditation on May 24, 2018 at his home on 1002 South F Street by “striking her multiple times causing severe blunt force injuries including a nasal fracture, severe black eyes, multiple abrasions and contusions to her head, trunk and extremities.”

Voluntary manslaughter is defined as:

“The killing of a human being in which the offender acted during the heat of passion, under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed to the point that they can’t reasonably control their emotions.