APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — An Appleton man has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for the killing of his girlfriend.
Johnny Scott fatally shot Annie Ford during an argument in their home in 2017. He pleaded no contest to the charges in April.
In court Tuesday, prosecutors said the argument was over $800 and a television. Outagamie County District Attorney Mindy Tempelis said Scott shot Ford four times, then pointed the gun at her 15-year-old son.
Scott, 62, told the judge that Ford had robbed him, and he wanted her out of his home for his own protection, but she refused to leave. He said he shot Ford more than once because she kept coming at him. He also denied pointing the gun at her son.
In a tearful address to the court, Ford’s oldest daughter, Johneshia Menifield, said her mother’s love for Scott was genuine, and that made the murder all the more shocking.
“Her life was snatched away from us by someone she trusted,” Menifield said. “This living nightmare has caused me to become angry. It has been four years and I’m just now feeling like I’m at 30% of who I used to be. I know I’ll never attain 100% because a piece of me will never return.”
Scott told Ford’s family that he pleaded no contest to avoid putting them through the pain of a trial.
“As a result of taking the life of Annie Ford, which I deeply regret, I’ve freely accepted the penalty of life in prison,” he said.
The defense had asked that Scott be eligible for parole after 20 years, but Judge Gregory Gill denied that request.
