Ryan Lynn Horton will be spending the rest of his life behind bars after being found guilty of murdering 60-year old Edward Gilhart of Hancock in 2016.
Horton, 30, will have no possibility of parole, Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogal said in an email to The Hancock News.
Judge Jeremiah Zook also sentenced Horton on other charges associated with the case.
Fogal said he is thankful to the Pennsylvania State Police for their hard work in the case.
He also noted he’s better for having met Bonnie Gilhart, Edward Gilhart’s wife, and he’s “hopeful that this result brings some amount of closure to her, after a very long journey to get this matter to trail.”
A Franklin County jury found Horton guilty on June 7 of Gilhart’s murder after a weeklong trial in Chambersburg in the Franklin County Courthouse.
Gilhart was on his way to work in the early hours of June 2, 2016, when he stopped his car to examine a duffle bag in the middle of a Franklin County Road.
Horton and 22-year old Christian Harris ambushed Gilhart and shot him in the middle of the road, taking his wallet that held $24 in cash.
Gilhart’s vehicle was found approximately 25 miles away from the murder scene in Fulton County along Mill Hill Road.
Harris, along with 24-year old Emily Tucker, testified against Horton during the trial.
“Justice was finally provided for Mr. Gilhart,” Fogal said.
