Athens man who shot housemate with shotgun avoids prison with plea deal

By Joe Johnson

A man who shot his roommate with a shotgun two years ago has avoided prison by entering into a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Kevin William Lowrie, 53, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for shooting 58-year-old Kenneth Douglas Aguar in June 2023 at the home they shared on Slyvan Road.

Authorities said at the time that Lowrie was upset that Aguar was disturbing his sleep by banging on the wall with a hammer and taunting him, and he responded by firing a shotgun blast through a door that caught his housemate in the shoulder.

Lowrie claimed that he was only trying to scare Aguar, who had previously threatened him.

In return for his guilty plea, Lowrie was sentenced to 12-18 months at the county’s diversion center.

“Given the circumstances between the parties, lack of violent criminal history for the defendant, and the benefit to the victim of not having to go through the trial process, we believe this was an acceptable outcome,” District Attorney Kalki Yalamanchili said.