Ryan Vest. Mugshot provided.
Clermont County Prosecuting Attorney Mark J. Tekulve announces that on February 15th, 2024, Ryan Vest admitted to his complicity in the killing of Casey Moss, and entered guilty pleas to Involuntary Manslaughter, Attempted Aggravated Murder, and Trafficking in Heroin.
In court, Vest admitted that on January 17th, 2023, he traveled to Union Township, Clermont County, Ohio, with Jaydon Pierce in order to sell heroin to Casey Moss and another. Immediately following the sale of heroin, the Co-Defendants realized they had been paid $10 less than the agreed upon amount and pursued the vehicle operated by Ms. Moss. During the pursuit, Vest drove up to the driver’s side of the vehicle to allow Pierce to shoot at Ms. Moss. Pierce fired a shot that struck Ms. Moss in the head, instantly killing her.
Detectives from the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office began an investigation and identified Vest and Pierce as the individuals involved in the shooting. Their investigation included executing numerous search warrants and collecting voluminous amounts of digital evidence. This evidence enabled Detectives to track both Defendants’ locations during the course of the day and time thereafter the shooting occurred.
Following his guilty pleas, Vest was sentenced to prison for an aggregate sentence of 15-18 years. Jaydon Pierce was sentenced in January 2024 to 25-30 years in prison.
Prosecuting Attorney Mark J. Tekulve would like to commend the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office for such an extensive and thorough investigation. One that began without any potential suspects’ identifiers and continued on to pinpoint the exact locations of the individuals involved, as well as the work and preparation of Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lara Baron and Assistant Prosecutors Clay Tharp, Zachary Zipperer and Jesse Taylor, in order to secure convictions in this case.
“What happened to Casey Moss on January 17th of last year is a tragedy. Through the incredibly impressive work of the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office, justice was done on her behalf and on the behalf of her family.” – Mark J. Tekulve, Clermont County Prosecutor