Man found guilty of murdering woman spent 30 minutes 'lying in wait' for her, prosecutors say

FRANKLIN, Ohio — After a two-day trial, a judge has found that 28-year-old Elijah Thomas is guilty of murdering 23-year-old Katelyn Puckett at her home in Franklin, Ohio.

Thomas was convicted on one count of aggravated murder with firearm specifications, two counts of murder, and one count each of felonious assault and improperly firing a gun at or into a habitation.

Warren County Prosecutors said GPS data showed that on June 17, 2023 Thomas had waited at Puckett's home for her for more than 30 minutes before she and others returned around midnight.

Then, in front of multiple witnesses, Thomas approached Puckett and fired nine shots, six of which hit her, killing her, according to prosecutors. Family members told police Thomas had made multiple violent threats to Puckett in the days and weeks before her murder.

Police were called to the 100 block of Boulder Drive at around 12:39 a.m. that morning, where they found Puckett shot multiple times. Despite first responders' efforts to save her life, Puckett died at the scene.

Thomas was taken into custody during a police traffic stop hours later, at around 9:42 a.m.

Thomas will be formally sentenced at a later date, but the charges of which he was convicted carry at least a mandatory life sentence.