Arden man, 60, gets over 13 years in prison for attempted 1st-degree murder of wife

ASHEVILLE — An Arden man could spend more than 13 years in prison for a 2017 incident in which he shot at and rammed his wife's vehicle after a meeting they had together in Mills River.

Paul Bryan Killian, 60, was sentenced May 24 to up to 162 months in prison on a charge of attempted first degree murder.  He was accused of firing at least six shots at his wife Katrina Killian's car in mid-December 2017 and then pursuing her, during which time police said he rammed her driver's side door causing "significant damage."

Killian plans to appeal the conviction, according to a news release by District Attorney Greg Newman. If the conviction is upheld, Killian will be eligible for release after serving 123 months. 

Witnesses said there was "notable tension" between the couple following a meeting at an insurance office near Fanning Fields Road in Mills River. It is believed they were separated at the time and the two were seen having a "heated verbal exchange" prior to the incident," Newman's office said.

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Killian later was located at his Arden residence on Glenn Bridge Road, where he barricaded himself inside the home for several hours before being apprehended.

Newman said Killian's behavior "is not the way your handle your disputes with spouses or anyone else." He initially was charged with assault with a deadly weapon. The charge was upgraded by Newman in March 2018.

"It was not a close call," Newman said. "Shooting a gun at a moving car in public could have had catastrophic consequences. Mr. Killian is fortunate that a bullet did not strike his wife or someone else that just happened to be in that area around 3 p.m. Otherwise, he would have been facing a different penalty all together.  

"We are fortunate that as disturbing as this situation was, it did not result in the loss of life."