10/12/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FROM OUR FRIENDS IN CAMPBELL COUNTY CAO:
NEWPORT – On October 9, 2026, at the conclusion of a five-day trial, a Campbell County jury returned a verdict finding 26-year-old Bryce J. Stamper guilty of Assault 2nd Degree and Strangulation 2nd Degree. After the sentencing phase of the trial, the same jury recommended that Stamper serve 12 years in prison. Stamper must serve 8 ½ years in prison before being eligible for parole. Stamper, who had been out of jail on bond pending trial, was taken into custody after the jury’s verdicts and remains in the Campbell County Detention Center.
Southgate Police responded to St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Ft. Thomas on December 28, 2024, at 3:50 AM after Stamper’s then-24-year-old ex-girlfriend sought treatment for injuries sustained in an assault. Officer Charlie Boeschenstein found the victim suffering from a laceration to her face and one eye was swollen shut. She also had a strangulation evaluation after telling police Stamper pressed his forearm into her throat, impeding her ability to breathe. The woman subsequently had to undergo surgery to insert metal plates to repair fractured bones in her face.
At the hospital, the victim explained to officers that Stamper came to her residence after she arrived home from a night out with her girlfriends. She said Stamper became angry and violent after seeing a photograph on social media showing the women wore pajamas to a local VFW Post. She said Stamper pinned her down on her bed and used his forearm to strangle her. The victim said she was eventually able to shove Stamper off of her but he then punched her in the eye with a closed fist. Southgate Police responded to the woman’s residence, found Stamper asleep on her couch, and arrested him.
The case was called for trial before Campbell Circuit Judge Julie Ward on October 5, 2026. Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Emily Mentzel and Christopher Jason prosecuted the case on behalf of the Commonwealth and called over a dozen witnesses during the week-long trial. In addition to the victim and Officer Boeschenstein, the jury also heard from the victim’s girlfriends, Southgate Police Detective Ronnie Gross, Sgt. Garrett Haynes, Sgt. Dan Johns, Ft. Thomas Police Officer Tyler Laffin, Lt. Derek Faught, multiple scientists from Kentucky State Police Crime Lab, and multiple medical providers and experts from St. Elizabeth Medical Center. The jury deliberated for several hours before returning verdicts finding Stamper guilty as charged of Assault 2nd Degree and Strangulation 2nd Degree. They then imposed penalties of 10 years for the assault and 2 years for the strangulation, to be served consecutively, for a total of 12 years in prison.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Emily Mentzel said, “The jury made it clear they will not tolerate brutal attacks on women any more than the police, prosecutors, and medical providers who collaborated to make sure this victim got the justice she deserved!” Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Christopher Jason applauded the police investigation saying, “Southgate Police, with the assistance of Ft. Thomas Police, collected all the evidence we needed to paint a clear picture for our jury and a violent offender is behind bars thanks to their work”
Formal, final sentencing is scheduled before Judge Ward on November 10, 2026.
