On a quiet October morning, Wyatt Testerman set up his phone to record. Then he attacked his 74-year-old grandmother, Cheri Oliver, in her own home—shoving her to the floor, beating her over and over.
According to prosecutors, Testerman struck Oliver more than 40 times. He used a metal cup. He stomped on her about a dozen times.
At one point, he stopped to check her pulse. "How the [expletive] is she still breathing?" he allegedly said into the camera.
Police arrived to find Oliver unconscious in a pool of blood. She died from blunt force trauma to the head.
In court Tuesday, the 19-year-old pleaded guilty but mentally ill to murder. His voice flat, he admitted to the brutal killing—but said he was struggling with substance abuse.
"I had been abusing acid for quite some time," Testerman told the judge. "Without reason on that date, I attacked my grandmother, striking her numerous times and killing her."
His mother told investigators she witnessed the attack and tried to stop him. Another witness claimed Testerman had earlier called Oliver "suicidal and a terrorist," warning her to stay seated or "suffer the consequences."
Testerman had planned to pursue an insanity defense, but a defense expert diagnosed him with antisocial personality disorder instead. He told the judge he was experiencing hallucinations in the courtroom—yet acknowledged he understood the proceedings.
Prosecutors are seeking the maximum sentence: life in prison. With no plea agreement, the judge will decide his fate on July 7.
The video of the attack remains a chilling piece of evidence—a self-recorded confession that captured every horrifying moment.
