Man sentenced in attempted murder of Minneapolis PD forensic scientist

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man convicted of attempted murder in the shooting of a Minneapolis forensic scientist – who is the mother of his child – has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. 

Timothy Amacher was convicted on all counts in the shooting of his ex Nicole Ford (Lenway), a Minneapolis police forensic scientist. Prosecutors said Amacher, working with his girlfriend Colleen Larson, ambushed Lenway as she went to pick up the son she shares with Amacher after a supervised visit at FamilyWise on University Avenue.

A judge on Monday, Jan. 30, sentenced Amacher to 216 months in prison, which is the maximum allowed under Minnesota sentencing guidelines. This means Amacher will serve approximately 12 years behind bars before he gets the possibility of supervised release – his son would be over 18 by the time Amacher gets out of prison.

"Every morning, I wake up, I am reminded by the physical scars on my body that mark the very terrifying experiences which led to fighting for my life this last year," said Ford.

In court, Ford spoke about her trauma and surviving not just the shooting but what amounted to a decade's worth of terror at the hands of Amacher.

"He took my stability, my sense of security, confidence, ability to trust my voice, my truth," she told the court.

According to court filings, Larson has admitted to pulling the trigger but blames Amacher for being the driving force behind the violent scheme. Amacher insisted again on Monday he wasn't involved before the judge handed down the max allowed under state guideline sentencing for aiding and abetting attempted first-degree murder.

"Over 100 witnesses listed, and not one person could say that they saw me do anything," argued Amacher. "Me and Mr. Reid, still to this day, question why I'm still sitting here. It's obvious that Ms. Lenway got shot. I'm not denying that. And I am empathetic she had to go through that."

"Tim is not the judge, jury or executioner, and I hope that he gets the justice that he deserves. Serving the maximum sentence allowed for his cowardice actions," added Ford.

With Amacher sentenced to 18 years behind bars, it's expected he'll serve at least 12 in prison before any form of release. Prosecutors pointed out by that point the child he shares with the victim will be an adult.

Meanwhile, the alleged shooter, Colleen Larson is scheduled to return to court later this week. She'll now have to decide whether to head to trial herself.