Fayette judge grants probation under ‘highest supervision’ in 2025 fatal shooting
A Fayette Circuit Judge granted a sentence of probation for a woman originally charged with the murder of her boyfriend in May 2025.
Chief Circuit Judge Kim Bunnell sentenced Mia White, 41, to a sentence of 10 years, but granted five years probation under the "highest supervision allowed.”
White pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second degree manslaughter. She was originally charged with murder — domestic violence in May 2025 for the death of 24-year-old Elmer Eldridge.
White previously confirmed to police she shot Eldridge, who she claimed was attacking her with a glass liquor bottle. Her attorneys argued — and evidence showed — Eldridge strangled White, took her inhaler and beat down a closet door she was hiding behind.
On Thursday, White’s attorney were required to hold a hearing to prove to a judge she was a victim of domestic violence and that she qualified for lesser penalties at her sentencing including probation, shock probation or conditional release.
Bunnell found that, under the statute, White was a victim of domestic violence at the time of the assault. She sentenced her to five years probation with several conditions, including drug testing, “at the highest level possible,” abstaining from alcohol, partaking in the substance use and reentry programs, and have no contact with Eldridge’s family.
She is also flagged for discretionary detention, meaning a probation officer could hold her in detention without contacting the judge.
White will be released from Fayette County custody and transferred to Madison County, where she faces an assault charge from December 2024, when she attacked a woman, the mother of Eldridge’s child, who entered White’s home to confront Eldridge, according to a police citation.
What led up to the shooting
Previous hearings and court filings show that White had experienced abuse by Eldridge.
After her arrest the day of the shooting, police documented significant evidence — including photos of strangulation — to indicate White may have shot Eldridge to protect herself.
At the time of the shooting, Eldridge was in violation of an emergency protection order, violated his probation by having a gun, and also violated federal law being a felon in possession of a firearm, according to her attorney, Daniel Whitley.
White and her lawyers had attempted to argue the charges should be dismissed altogether because she had grounds for self-defense. But at a court hearing in October 2025, Bunnell denied that request. Bunnell said questions remained that she felt were the responsibility of a jury to answer.
According to previous evidence presented, on the day of the shooting, White had been strangled multiple times by Eldridge before she sought refuge in a closet. Police evidence shows Eldridge broke the closet door, strangled White again and then confined her to the bedroom.
Evidence and testimony presented shows that White struggled to breathe, and Eldridge took her inhaler, which was later found in his pocket. All the while, a handgun was on the nightstand in the room.
While confined to the bedroom, White said nearly an hour went by between her assault and when she shot Eldridge. The amount of time that passed was one discrepancy in the events that Bunnell said could affect the case.
But White asserts she was under watch by Eldridge, and the first chance she got, when Eldridge turned his back to her, she grabbed the gun. She says Eldridge responded by grabbing a liquor bottle and raising it to strike her.
She shot him several times, once while he was on the ground, and told a roommate to call 911, according to testimony.
When police arrived, they noticed that the liquor bottle was on the nightstand, and White could not explain how the bottle got there.
Victim’s mother requests maximum sentence for White
Eldridge’s mother, Rosemary Eldridge, appeared on Zoom to ask that White be given the maximum sentence in accordance with her plea deal for the death of her son.
She consistently said how much her son was loved, and missed by the entire family, including his young daughter, who he would not get to see grow up.
“When I see my son, I see the little boy that would put frogs in his pocket that I would find at bath time,” she said. “And the jars of lightening bugs around the house.”
Rosemary Eldridge spoke to White, and said she should have known better, “dating a man half her age” while she had a husband and kids of her own who were the same age as Eldridge.
She was adamant that her son would never have hurt White.
“I know that he wasn’t mean, cruel or vindictive,” Eldridge said of her son. “(White) is lying about all of this. I raised him, and I know what kind of person he was.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the national domestic violence hotline.
