A man convicted of murdering his wife nearly 10 years ago will be resentenced in Kosciusko Superior Court I because aggravating and mitigating circumstances were not defined when he was sentenced in August 1994.

Michael Millard Ousley, 43, formerly of North Webster, is serving a 50-year prison term for the July 12, 1993, murder of his wife, 32-year-old Bonnie Ousley, whose throat was slashed before she was shot in the back with a shotgun. The shotgun blast pierced her heart, according to information from the trial.

After killing his wife, Michael Ousley turned the gun on himself in a failed suicide attempt. He recovered from the wounds, but remains disfigured. With the gun fired while placed beneath his chin, the blast ripped Ousley's face nearly in half.

According to a post-conviction relief order filed Monday, Judge Duane Huffer found that the sentencing judge "did not set forth aggravating and mitigating circumstances" when he added 10 years to the 40-year presumptive term handed down for murder. Huffer concluded that this entitles Ousley to be resentenced.

After entering that order, Huffer recused himself from the case and appointed Senior Judge Robert Burner as special judge in the matter. Burner was the sitting judge when the case went to trial and Ousley originally was sentenced.

Tracy Anne Nelson was appointed as pauper counsel to represent Ousley at sentencing.

On the day that Bonnie Ousley was murdered, the couple's three children - then ages 9, 8 and 5 - were sent to a neighbor's house during an argument between their parents. One of the children told police that she heard her parents screaming and yelling as she walked away.

After the murder and while suffering from his self-inflicted injuries, Michael Ousley kept police at bay for about an hour at his McKenna Road home.

The resentencing is set for 1:15 p.m. May 27. [[In-content Ad]]