Mar. 8—An Erie man has been sentenced in Crawford County Court of Common Pleas to a total of 25 to 50 years in prison for killing his estranged wife at a Sadsbury Township home in 2021.

Daryl S. Gillespie, 29, pleaded guilty and was sentenced Tuesday by Judge Mark Stevens for shooting death of Christina Ruhl-Farnsworth, 23, as she slept at a home along Route 618 on the west side of Conneaut Lake. The Meadville Tribune was the only media to attend the plea and sentencing.

Gillespie's trial had been scheduled to start next week with him facing a general charge of homicide and burglary filed by Pennsylvania State Police. The general charge of homicide potentially could have included first-degree murder had he been convicted at trial. A first-degree murder conviction in Pennsylvania carries a penalty of life in prison without parole or the death penalty.

Gillespie pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder in the third-degree, endangering the welfare of a child and possession of instruments of crime. Stevens then sentenced Gillespie to a total of 25 to 50 years for those crimes.

The agreed-upon sentence of 25 to 50 years was part of a plea agreement between the Crawford County District Attorney's Office and Anthony Rodriques, Gillespie's defense attorney.

Gillespie admitted he traveled from Erie County to the Conneaut Lake area in the morning hours of Sept. 14, 2021, entered the home and shot Ruhl-Farnsworth twice with .22-caliber pistol as she slept in a bedroom, and then fled the scene. Ruhl-Farnsworth was found dead later that day in the home she shared with her young daughter, her father and and her father's male roommate.

Gillespie also admitted to Stevens that Ruhl-Farnsworth's 3 1/2-year-old daughter was in the room at the time of the fatal shooting.

"I saw her," Gillespie told Stevens.

"Did you look for her?" the judge then asked.

"Yes," Gillespie answered.

"Did you make sure she was out of the way?" Stevens then asked.

"Yes," Gillespie replied.

Gillespie told Stevens that he suffers from mental health issues including depression, split personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In sentencing Gillespie, the judge said such issues did not excuse his actions that morning, calling the situation tragic.

Stevens said the agreed-upon 25- to 50-year sentence was fair and reasonable.

"You altered the course of many people's lives that day and there's no going back," Stevens told Gillespie. "What you did was wrong."

Stevens ordered Gillespie to serve 20 to 40 years for third-degree murder, which is the maximum penalty; three and one-half to seven years for third-degree felony endangering the welfare of a child; and one and one-half to three years for possession of a instrument of crime, with the sentences to be served consecutively. Stevens did give Gillespie 539 days of pre-sentence jail credit. Gillespie also was ordered to pay a $100 fine and court costs.

Andrew Natalo, the assistant district attorney who prosecuted the case, said the sentencing was a fair outcome based on comparable cases prosecuted by the DA's office over the years.

Natalo also praised Ruhl-Farnsworth's family members as stalwart and important throughout the 18 months it's taken to bring the case to a close.

"They've endured a lot — a lot of delays, a lot of things no one ever wants to go through or should ever go through," he said. "They've been strong throughout and we appreciate their strength and commitment to this process."

Rodriques declined comment to the Tribune.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.