VAN WERT, Ohio – A Rockford man was sentenced to 15 to life in prison for the 2023 murder of a Van Wert woman.
Ryan Houser, 39, was found guilty of murder by a Van Wert County judge for the death of Barbara Ganger. Houser refused to admit guilt. The remaining charges against him were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Houser later attempted to withdraw his plea before sentencing, but the judge denied his request. On Labor Day 2023, Van Wert Police officers responded to Ganger’s apartment for a welfare check. They discovered her dead from gunshot wounds to the stomach and eye. Houser intends to appeal the outcome of his case.
