A man serving a 12-year prison sentence for crimes stemming from the shooting death of his late wife’s naturopathic caregiver appeared in court Monday and requested shock probation.

Omer Ahmetovic has served about 20 months of his sentence for second-degree manslaughter and tampering with physical evidence.

Ahmetovic, 36, was initially charged with murder in the March 2, 2017, death of Juan Gonzalez, 59, who was shot at his business, The Natural Health Center for Integrative Medicine, on U.S. 31-W By-Pass.

City police arrested Ahmetovic six days later, and Ahmetovic eventually accepted an offer from Warren County Commonwealth’s Attorney Chris Cohron to plead guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter and the tampering count, which was added in a superseding indictment.

Shock probation is a form of early release available in Kentucky to first-time offenders convicted of certain crimes and is granted at a judge’s discretion.

Warren Circuit Judge Steve Wilson deferred ruling on Ahmetovic’s request for shock probation at the end of Monday’s hearing, saying he would take the motion under advisement.

Appearing before Wilson, Ahmetovic read from a written statement in which he expressed remorse and wished to be released to raise his two children.

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t regret my actions,” said Ahmetovic, who is currently in Warren County Regional Jail. “I have a pain that never leaves my heart.”

Ahmetovic’s late wife, Fikreta Ibrisevic, was a client of Gonzalez’s and visited his office to discuss natural therapies after she received a cancer diagnosis.

The couple later sued Gonzalez, alleging that he dissuaded Ibrisevic from seeking chemotherapy to treat her cancer and that an excessive dosage of herbs Gonzalez sold to Ibrisevic caused her to have a toxic reaction.

Ibrisevic developed additional tumors and died in February 2017.

The lawsuit against Gonzalez was active at the time of his death.

In filings in the criminal case, Ahmetovic’s attorney, Alan Simpson, alleged that Gonzalez sexually assaulted Ibrisevic during at least one appointment.

Simpson filed the motion for shock probation Nov. 26, arguing that his client’s “own good judgment and character were overcome with anger and revenge” in the wake of his wife’s death.

“It is also quite clear that when (Ahmetovic) committed the offense, he was acting under extreme emotional disturbance that, quite frankly, is understandable, under the circumstances,” Simpson said in his motion.

Simpson’s request for shock probation included proposed conditions that Ahmetovic perform 1,000 hours of community service through Hillvue Heights and Fountain Square churches, complete anger management and grief counseling programs and continue undergoing psychotherapy for as long as necessary.

Three witnesses testified Monday on Ahmetovic’s behalf.

Bob Hammond and Alan Faehner, who lead Bible study classes at Hillvue Heights Church, which Ahmetovic attended, said they regularly visited Ahmetovic and his wife as she dealt with her illness.

“He was a very loving, caring individual, and there wasn’t anything that made us think otherwise,” Faehner said.

In the days immediately following Ibrisevic’s death, Ahmetovic appeared withdrawn and kept to himself but gave no indication that he would shoot Gonzalez.

“There was no sign of a violent bone in his body,” Hammond said.

Cohron argued that shock probation would unduly depreciate the serious nature of the offense.

“To say this is an unusual set of circumstances is an understatement,” Cohron said of the case at Monday’s hearing. “Mr. Simpson argues that (the homicide) may be understandable, but it’s not justifiable under the law.”

– Follow courts reporter Justin Story on Twitter @jstorydailynews or visit bgdailynews.com.