Your tip
RadarOnlineRadarOnline
or
Sign in with lockrMail
BREAKING NEWS
Exclusive

Nashville Woman Recalls Fateful Night The Love Of Her Life Was Fatally Shot In Front Of Her As She Fights Convicted Killer's Early Release

widow recalls night husband ben fatally shot fighting convicted killer release pp
Source: Radar

April 10 2023, Published 5:15 p.m. ET

Link to FacebookShare to XShare to FlipboardShare to Email
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Ben Goeser was a "very kind, generous, happy-go-lucky, just fun-loving person." Those are the words of his widow, Nikki, who told RadarOnline.com exclusively that not a day goes by when she doesn't miss her late husband after his murder.

She is now fighting against his convicted killer's early release.

Article continues below advertisement
widow recalls night husband ben fatally shot fighting convicted killer release
Source: Radar

Ben was fatally shot in 2009 by one of their karaoke customers in Nashville, Tennessee. Hank Wise had developed a crush on Nikki and later claimed that Ben was slandering him online, an allegation that was never proven.

"I had already deleted him and blocked him from my social media. We had never seen him at that particular venue ever," Nikki said of that fateful night on April 2, revealing that's when she felt confident that Wise was stalking her.

Article continues below advertisement

"It was a good 30-minute drive outside of downtown Nashville, where I normally ran karaoke shows that he attended as a customer."

Nikki said she had a sixth sense that something bad was afoot so she avoided all contact with Wise, requesting that management ask him to leave.

"I stayed right there, looking out from the side of this brick wall ... he had no idea where I had gone," she said, claiming that Wise appeared determined to find her and had gone to the bathroom before being confronted.

Article continues below advertisement
widow recalls night husband ben fatally shot fighting convicted killer release
Source: Radar
Article continues below advertisement

"I just stayed right there. The manager had grabbed one of the barback guys and they walked over to him. I learned in the trial what was said," Nikki told RadarOnline.com.

"She said, 'we need to ask you to leave.' and he asked why. And she said, 'I think you know why. You're making someone here feel uncomfortable.'"

Article continues below advertisement

RadarOnline.com learned that a manager testified she had seen Wise go to the bathroom not long before and she told him he "should probably leave now," and it was claimed Wise did not look upset.

"That's when he started to back up and unzip his jacket," Nikki said. "He reached up under his arm. Now, I had been a firearms range volunteer at that time, and I knew what that looked like. In that split of a second, I thought to myself, 'Oh my God, I don't have my gun.'

Article continues below advertisement
widow recalls night husband ben fatally shot fighting convicted killer release
Source: Radar
MORE ON:
crime

DAILY. BREAKING. CELEBRITY NEWS. ALL FREE.

Article continues below advertisement

"I knew at that point, what was happening," she shared. "He pulled a .45 from his shoulder holster under his jacket and came up beside Ben and shot Ben in the head."

She said that Ben fell to the ground. Wise stood over him and "continued to fire six more rounds into him in front of myself and everyone in the middle of that very busy restaurant."

Following a speedy trial, Wise was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Article continues below advertisement

He could now be released early on "good behavior credits" in 2028, and Nikki fears his obsession is far from over as Wise continued to send love letters behind bars until she obtained Tennessee's first-ever lifetime order of protection in 2021.

In addition to the murder conviction, Wise was charged with felony stalking while incarcerated.

Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.

Article continues below advertisement
widow recalls night husband ben fatally shot fighting convicted killer release
Source: Radar
Article continues below advertisement

A witness named Jennifer spoke with RadarOnline.com about the night Ben was killed and said she was subpoenaed to testify about Wise's alleged premeditation, but never got the chance to go under oath.

She shut down speculation that Wise was angered by the fact he was asked to leave. "That wasn't the case, he was hunting [Ben and Nikki] that night," Jennifer told RadarOnline.com.

"I have no doubt" that he will try to find her, Jennifer added. "This wasn't spur of the moment. This man is disturbed."

Article continues below advertisement

Nikki said she wants Wise to serve the full "23 years at truly, 100 percent like he was sentenced to" for claiming the life of the man she was planning a bright future with.

"[Ben] always had a smile on his face. All the girls in the karaoke venue, they just loved him," she said.

Nikki recalled how Ben used to mentor a younger boy who needed a male role model in his life, sharing that Ben's passing had crushed the child.

Article continues below advertisement

She added, "Ben was just trying to do good in the world."

"Now, I'm 47 years old. I have never remarried and I'm never going to be a mother. Not only did Hank Wise take my best friend away from me, my husband, he also took the entire family that I would have had. I'll never know the family that I would have had."

More From Radar Online

    Opt-out of personalized ads

    © Copyright 2024 RADAR ONLINE™️. A DIVISION OF MYSTIFY ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK INC. RADAR ONLINE is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy and Cookies Policy. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Offers may be subject to change without notice.