‘Our family has been shattered’ and ‘images have never gone away’
The man who shot and killed two fellow residents of the Harbor House Men’s Christian Center in the summer of 2022 was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole Tuesday afternoon in Henderson County Circuit Court.
Circuit Court Judge Karen Wilson handed down the sentence, telling Kenneth Gibbs, 39, he will remain in prison “until the conclusion of your life.”
After initially entering “not guilty” pleas in October 2022, Gibbs withdrew those and entered “guilty” pleas last month on two counts of murder and three counts of criminal attempt of murder.
The two residents of Harbor House who were killed in the Aug. 25, 2022, mass shooting are Stephen Wathen, 67, and Chad Holmes, 44.
Two other men, Anthony “Tony” R. Norris and Kenneth M. Nutting were injured, and a third, Jared G. Schwartz, was shot at during the rampage, according to court documents.
Media accounts say that after a prayer service that night, Gibbs left the Harbor House and went to his car to get a gun, and after returning inside, he opened fire.
Coni Beck, the pastor and director of Harbor House, in her victim impact statement Tuesday said the horrors she witnessed have not left her since the night of the incident.
“The images of destruction and death will never leave my memory,” she said. “Those images have never gone away.” She said since the shooting she’s been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. “I had to go to counseling to deal with what I saw.”
On top of that, she said every time she walks into the Harbor House, the shooting comes to her mind, and she doesn’t feel safe. She’s also concerned about the well-being of the center’s residents, including one of the injured who continues to be filled with anxiety and fear.
“I have great concern for our residents, but Kenny I have concern for you as well,” Beck told Gibbs as she concluded her statement. She said God “will extend forgiveness to you if you repent.
“I continue to pray for you.”
Ellen Wathen, Stephen Wathen’s sister, told the court that she wondered about her brother’s last moments—was he frightened, in pain, his feelings?
“We all have questions that may never get a chance to be answered,” she said. “Our family has been shattered by Mr. Gibbs’ actions.”
A statement read by Commonwealth’s Attorney Victim’s Advocate Angie Gatten on behalf of the Holmes family said that Holmes’ mother stayed in her house for several weeks and cried after her son’s death.
Gibbs entered the courtroom Tuesday shackled at the hands and feet, wearing prison-issued orange shirt and pants. He showed no visible emotion throughout the proceeding, including when Wilson announced the sentence.
He spoke only twice, answering questions from Wilson—“Yes, your honor” and “No, your honor”—and declined to address the court. As he was escorted from the courtroom, his demeanor remained unchanged.
Outside the courtroom, both Ellen Wathen and brother, John, said their brother was a kind and giving person, always willing to help someone in need.
“He would give you the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it, even though he didn’t have another one to put on,” John Wathen said.
Emily Wathen, Stephen Wathen’s daughter-in-law, had not yet been able to meet him before he died because he was still putting his life back together. She said it’s left her and husband, Joe, with “an empty space.”
Commonwealth’s Attorney Herb McKee said the success of the case’s outcome goes back to the night of the incident, when Henderson police located Gibbs at Atkinson Park and were able to approach and then question him in a calm manner.
In an HPD citation report included in the court filings, Det. Jake Isonhood wrote that after Gibbs was found, he “was transported to the Henderson Police Department for questioning. Kenneth was read his rights and he agreed to speak with me. Kenneth admitted to the shooting. Kenneth stated that he lost it. I asked Kenneth how many people he thought he killed, and he said six.”
The Wathens praised the prosecutor’s office and the coroner’s office for providing service that always put their needs first.
This included a recent change in the direction of the case. According to McKee, on Aug. 1 it was released that Gibbs had been found competent to stand trial. McKee said defense attorneys had argued that Gibbs wasn’t able to stand trial for mental health reasons. A week after Gibbs was found competent, McKee put out notice that he would seek the death penalty.
On Aug. 27, Gibbs withdrew his previous “not guilty” pleas made on Oct. 11, 2022, and entered “guilty” pleas to all five counts, according to court documents.
McKee said the change came after defense and prosecution came to a deal that prosecution would not pursue death in exchange for life without the possibility of parole.
But it also came because family of the victims didn’t want more death.
“I didn’t want to see another person die,” said John Wathen.
McKee said there are no appeals available, and this case is final.
“We will close this door,” Beck said. “Never forget. But we will move forward. We continue to pray for the families.”