Billings woman sentenced to 95 years in prison for attempted murder of her uncle

BILLINGS - A Billings woman who prosecutors described as a "cold-blooded, remorseless would-be killer" has been sentenced to 95 years in state prison for shooting her uncle when he said he was reporting her to police for stealing his car.

Kylee Jo Tushka, 20, appeared for sentencing Tuesday in Yellowstone County District Court where Judge Mary Jane Knisely imposed the lengthy sentence. The judge ordered Tushka to serve 80 years in prison for attempted deliberate homicide with an additional 10 years for the use of a deadly weapon, and another five years for tampering with evidence.

Tushka was 18 when she was arrested on Sept. 16, 2022 shortly after her 43-year-old uncle was shot when he answered the door to his apartment in the 300 block of North 25th Street. The man, identified in court records by the initials "T.R.", was struck twice by bullets, once in the arm and a second through-and-through wound to the abdomen that was an inch away from causing a possible fatal injury to vital organs, prosecutors said in court records.

The uncle would later tell investigators that he had threatened to call the police and report Tushka because she refused to return his car. Tushka, who prosecutors said "is a validated affiliate of the Red One's street gang," showed up later at his apartment door and opened fire without saying a word to her uncle.

The man was able to identify who shot him to responding officers and Tushka was arrested about 45 minutes after the shooting. Ammunition for a .40-caliber handgun was found in her possession, but the handgun used in the shooting was never recovered. She later admitted to shooting her uncle during a police interview but refused to disclose the location of the handgun.

Tushka was convicted of the charges at a jury trial last Fall.

A presentence report following the trial said Tushka's "overall attitude concerning these offenses was somewhat between apathy and justification," and described her as a "cold-blooded, remorseless would-be killer."

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