Man Convicted In Estranged Wife's Death Sentenced To Life In Prison

A man who was convicted of his estranged wife's death was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole by a Hocking County jury on Thursday.

Inman could have received the death penalty, but jurors said that mitigating factors outweighed aggravated circumstances.

A psychologist addressed the jury Thursday prior to deliberations.

“(Inman) never became his own person,” psychologist Bill Stinson said. “He never became his own thinker. He never had his own plans.”

Stinson, who spent 16 hours interviewing Inman during the past year, said that Inman spent his life in the grip of a controlling father and an indulgent mother.

“He has what we refer to as an arrested development,” Stinson said. “He stopped maturing emotionally and developmentally, so that he’s very much like a kid in that regard.”

Donald Coe, a neighbor, saw the Inman’s car speeding past him the night Summer Inman was kidnapped and murdered.

“He should have gotten the death penalty because of what he did to her,” Coe said. “He didn’t give her a chance and dumped her headfirst in that sewer down in Nelsonville.”

On Monday, a Hocking County jury found William Inman II guilty on all counts, including aggravated murder, in connection with the March 2011 death of his wife, Summer Inman.

Her body was found strangled and dumped in an underground septic tank behind an Athens County church, 10TV's Danielle Elias reported.

William Inman II's parents were also charged and will be tried later. All three pleaded not guilty.

Stay with 10TV News and 10TV.com for continuing coverage.

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