DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — The Warminster hunter who mistook an 18-year-old man for a groundhog in Nockamixon State Park last fall will spend up to two decades behind bars.
Kenneth Heller, 52, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter and violations of hunting regulations. He was sentenced to seven to 20 years in state prison.
Heller said he thought he followed the rules of identifying the target before pulling the trigger, but he acknowledged he was farther away than he should have been. Instead of shooting a groundhog, his bullet hit 18-year-old Jason Kutt in the neck.
On Oct. 24, 2020, Kutt was watching the sunset at Lake Nockamixon with his girlfriend when he suddenly fell to the ground. His girlfriend said she saw a hunter — Heller — in an orange vest walking off, ignoring her pleas for help. She called 911 and tried to save Kutt, but the shot severed his brainstem.
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Heller said he walked away to avoid a confrontation, as he had gotten into arguments before while hunting in Nockamixon State Park. He said if he had known someone was hurt, he would have tried to help.
Heller did not come forward for months. Bucks County Judge Jeffery Finley told Heller he could understand him panicking, but he said his “panic turned into selfishness and self-preservation.”
Heller said he planned to turn himself in, but he kept putting it off because he just wanted one more day with his family.
In an emotional hearing, friends and family remembered Kutt as a music lover who was caring, funny and always helpful. His father told the judge if he had one more day with his son, he’d hug him and tell him he loved him. Kutt’s mother said even in death, her son is still giving to others, as they followed his wish to be an organ donor.
The Kutt family said they support hunting, but they are fighting to change the rules that allow mixed-use hunting in Nockamixon State Park.