Man convicted in plot to kill wife gets 22 years

SANDUSKY — The wife of a Margaretta Township man, convicted of plotting to kill her, chided her husband in an Erie County courtroom Monday before a judge sentenced him to more than two decades prison.Gerry "Gary" Moore, 64, who's currently serving a prison sentence in Mansfield, was sentenced to 22 additional years Monday by Erie County Common Pleas Court Judge Beverly McGookey.A jury convicted him last week on three charges — attempted aggravated murder, retaliation and conspiracy. Over two days of testimony, jurors heard hours of audio secretly recorded by a fellow prison inmate in which the two purportedly discussed details of the plot to murder his wife.Gerry Moore's current sentence comes after he pleaded guilty following a 2015 incident where he allegedly shot at his wife, Diane Moore, and led law enforcement on a chase in a Mustang before he shot himself following a 21-hour standoff.Diane Moore, who has an ongoing divorce case with Gerry Moore, made a statement before her husband's sentencing."To think I was in love with you," Diane Moore said. "Couples get divorces every day. They don't try to get their partner murdered."She continued: "It's never going to be over for me but it's over for you."Gerry Moore also made a statement before his sentencing, in which he quoted Bible verses and offered apologies as his voice cracked."I'm not a monster," he said to the judge. "I've helped a lot of people. I've been good to people."Gerry Moore also said he'd never hurt his wife and that he "never had intentions of hurting (her).""I said stuff I (didn't) mean," he said. "I'm sorry about it."McGookey, who presided over Gerry Moore's previous case, told him the "whole situation was very sad.""You said on the tapes if (the fellow inmate) didn't get out (of prison) to kill her, you'd do it yourself," McGookey said.McGookey then handed down the 22-year sentence on the three charges, which will run consecutively to his current term. His total prison sentence will finish in 2046, according to Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction records.Gerry Moore has the right to appeal the case within 30 days, McGookey said.Visit our Erie County Common Pleas court hub for more storiesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterGerry "Gary" Moore, 64, prepares to leave the courtroom in handcuffs following his conviction on three felony counts, including attempted aggravated murder, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Gerry "Gary" Moore Sr.