Jury finds Kimball man guilty of manslaughter in wife’s shooting death

After deliberations on Thursday, March 16, the jury found William “Shane” Serrano, 37, of Kimball, guilty of charges of manslaughter, a Class IIA felony; two counts of attempted terroristic threats, a Class IV felony; and possession of a firearm while committing a felony, a Class II felony. He was acquitted of a charge of first-degree murder.

Charges stemmed from the Jan. 3, 2022, shooting of 21-year-old Tessa Ghering. Kimball Police had responded about 8:30 p.m. to a residence in the 600 block of S. Oak Street and made contact with Serrano, who told police he had accidentally shot his wife and she was dead. Upon entering the residence, police located the woman’s body, lying face down on a bed in the bedroom. She had been shot in the head one time, according to court documents.

An investigation determined that Serrano had been involved in an argument with his ex-wife and her boyfriend’s mother via phone call and text messages prior to the shooting. The two had been arguing about custodial arrangements regarding the children, and Serrano had allegedly threatened to harm them.

The man’s two minor sons were present at the time of the shooting, and witnessed the events prior to the shooting. They described their dad Serrano as angrily throwing his phone against the wall during the shooting and Serrano also told police he had thrown his phone. The boys told police they heard a conversation in which Ghering reminded Serrano that a 20-gauge shotgun was in the rafters of a garage. Serrano retrieved the shotgun and a backpack containing shells for the gun. The boys told police they could hear their father loading the shotgun. As he walked through the living room, they said, he was carrying the gun in a broken, or open, fashion.

Serrano told police he was trying to determine if the gun was loaded when it accidentally discharged and the projectile from the shotgun struck Gehring, who was sitting on the bed. When police examined the weapon, one single spent shell was found in the shotgun and 20 live shells were located in the backpack.

Charges involving threats involved the statements that Serrano is accused of having made during the arguments he had with his ex-wife and to her boyfriend’s mother. The investigation revealed that two days prior to the shooting, Serrano had made statements that he would “shoot up” his ex-wife’s home, though the woman told police she did not feel threatened by his statements. During the argument on the day of the shooting, Serrano was accused of telling one of the women, “I’m coming after you.”

Trial in the case occurred Tuesday and Wednesday in Kimball County Court.

Prosecutor Doug Warner, an assistant attorney general with the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, presented the case against Serrano. Serrano was represented by Kelly Breen, attorney with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy, and Stacy Bach, public defender.

Jurors heard testimony in the case Tuesday and Wednesday and deliberated on Thursday.

Serrano is scheduled for sentencing on May 2.