INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Monday in connection with the 2022 hit-and-run death of his ex-girlfriend on the city's southeast side.
Friends and family were at the court house Sept. 16 when Kyle Rigdon was sentenced for killing 29-year-old Kayla Bowling, a mom from Indianapolis. They wore shirts memorializing Bowling, who was killed on June 1, 2022.
"There's no closure," said Robert Bowling, Kayla's father. "Anybody who loses a family member that's been murdered, they have no closure. It's haunting."
"There's no sense in me standing here lying to you and say I'm going to be alright," said Tammy Bowling, Kayla's mom. "No, I lost my world."
As part of a plea agreement, Rigdon pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in Bowling's death. The murder and stalking charges against Rigdon were dismissed.
Bowling died after she was hit by a car while riding her bike in the 3000 block of South Rural Street, near East Troy and South Keystone avenues on Indianapolis' southeast side. That car fled the scene.
Police said before her death, Bowling gave investigators the license plate number of the car that hit her. IMPD hit-and-run detectives were able to use that information to identify the suspect as Rigdon.
Bowling's family said Rigdon had continued to stalk her even after their breakup, and Bowling told her mother she believed Rigdon would kill her.
"She says, 'If I ever die, look at my phone. I got the evidence,'" Robert told 13News in 2022.
According to court documents, police found a Facebook post by Rigdon written less than 24 hours before Bowling was hit and killed. In the entry, police say Rigdon wrote that someone had broken his heart and they were going to pay.
Robert told 13News in 2022 that someone ended up being his daughter.
"I knew as long as he was on the street, there was a chance something bad was going to happen to her," Robert said.
Bowling's parents are raising her 6-year old son.
"He asks us where his mommy's at every day," Tammy said. "I miss her. How does a person go through life dealing with that? Could anyone tell me?"
Bowling's father thanked police for catching and arresting Rigdon.
They probably saved me from sitting where he's sitting at now because I had every intention to kill him," Robert said, "because I know he killed my daughter, and I wasn't going to let him get by with it."
Rigdon offered no apology and no statement of remorse at his hearing.