DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — A woman has been sentenced to prison for the 2021 murder of a man in Riverside, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.
On Tuesday, Sept. 5, Sarah Marie Bierma, 40, of Dayton, was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the murder of Kendall Combs, 60.
In June 2021, a relative of Combs was concerned after she had not heard from him in two days. The relative reportedly went to Combs’ home on Wendall Lane in Riverside and found his body in the kitchen.
Riverside police officers and medics responded to the home and found Combs who appeared to have been stabbed with a pair of scissors.
The prosecutor’s office said that Combs’ relative noticed that his cell phone was missing. The police reportedly pinged the phone and found that it was still turned on and located in Riverside. Police went to the location of the phone and found it in the possession of Bierma.
The prosecutor’s office said, “Further investigation determined the defendant had attacked and killed the victim.”
On July 1, 2021, the Montgomery County Grand Jury indicted Bierma with the following:
- Two counts of Murder
- Two counts of Felonious Assault
- One count of Aggravated Burglary
- One count of Aggravated Robbery
- One count of Tampering with Evidence
Following a bench trial that began on Aug. 15, 2023, Bierma was found guilty as charged.
