Next Parole Hearing : January 2018 

Nine-year-old Coretha Mitchell was walking to school when she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered

Case Summary

Coretha Mitchell, age nine, was on her way to school when she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by Benjamin Richey. Richey then left Coretha for dead on the ground the at the park where he assaulted her. By the time Richey led police to Coretha, 24 hours later, it was too late to save her life. Facing overwhelming evidence Richey pled guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison. He was later convicted of a felonious assault charge for stabbing a fellow inmate 12 times. Although it has been over four decades Richey still refuses to take classes to address his criminal behavior.

Coretha Mitchell’s Story

A Little Girl Disappears

Nine-year-old Coretha Mitchell left home around 8 A.M. on July 18, 1974 looking forward to a field trip at school where she was attending summer classes. Coretha, who was third grader at Charles Lake Elementary school, stood four feet, one inches tall and weighed 55 pounds. When Coretha did not arrive home that afternoon her mother called the school and was told Coretha did not arrive that day. Mrs. Mitchell contacted police and the search began to find Coretha.

Suspect Leads Police Missing Child

During the investigation Cleveland Ohio Police spoke with neighbors who said they saw Coretha get into a yellow car driven by Benjamin Richey Jr. Richey was the boyfriend of Coretha’s aunt. Police questioned Richey who initially refused to provide any information. One day later, at approximately 10 P.M. on July 19, 1974 Richey told police Coretha was in the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District and agreed to take the police officers to her.

Police found Coretha in the park lying on her back. She was severly beaten and barely breathing. When a detective flashed a light on Coretha’s face she blinked her eyes and tried to shield her face with her arms. A rescue squad was called and Coretha was rushed to Bedford Municipal Hospital. She would be pronounced dead on arrival at 11:40 P.M.

Richey was charged with aggravated murder with rape specifications. He was also charged with abduction for immoral purposes for an attempted rape of an 11-year-old girl just over a year earlier, Richey was alleged to have taken the girl to the exact same spot where Coretha was found. The girl was able to escape before Richey could rape her.

Horrific Injuries End With Murder Plea

Cuyahoga County Deputy Coroner Charles Hirsch ruled that Coretha died as a result of being strangled and being struck repeatedly on her head with a hard shop object. The autopsy report detailed horrific injuries including multiple stabbing injuries to Coretha’s face, a fractured skull, and bruises all over her body. In addition, the autopsy report clearly showed severe sexual trauma including multiple lacerations and contusions to Coretha’s genitalia.

Richey knew the evidence against him was overwhelming so rather than go to trial he decided to take a plea deal. Richey pled guilty to aggravated murder and the remaining charges were dropped. Common Please Judge John T. Patton sentenced Richey to life in prison for kidnapping, raping, and murdering Coretha Mitchell.

Very Poor Rehabilitation

Richey’s time in prison has been problematic. In 1981 he stabbed another inmate 12 times, which resulted in a felonious assault conviction adding another 2-15 years to his life sentence. According to his parole records Richey was an “untreated sex offender” in 1993 and there is nothing indicating he has taken any sex offender classes since that time. Although Richey has been in prison for 43 years he has still not take a victim awareness class. According to the Ohio Parole Board documents from Richey’s last hearing in 2008, “Few programs completed. He did complete vocational electronics in 2007. However he refuses to complete programs listed in his re-entry accountability plan.”

No Parole

Benjamin Richey is a monster and he is absolutely the worst of the worst. He raped, stabbed, beat, and strangled innocent nine-year-old Coretha Mitchell and left her on the ground to die alone in a park. She lay on that ground terrified and dying for 24 hours until Richey finally told police where to find her. By then it was too late to save her life. Richey has shown no remorse in the last 43 years and still refuses to take classes to address his criminal behavior.

Releasing Benjamin Richey at any point would be a complete injustice to Coretha Mitchell and would demean his extreme cruelty to her. In addition, releasing Richey at any point would pose a serious and imminent threat to the community, especially you young girls. To further the interests of justice and protect society we urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Benjamin Richey the maximum ten-year continuance at all future parole hearings until he serves his FULL life sentence.

Next Parole Hearing : September 2022 

Becky Kerr was gunned down by her abusive ex-boyfriend in front of her eight-year-old daughter

Case Summary

Becky Kerr was living in a Domestic Violence shelter when her abusive ex-boyfriend Lincoln Mabry followed her to her babysitter’s house. Mabry, who was brandishing a gun, forced Becky and her eight year old daughter into Becky’s car. Mabry ordered Becky to drive while he continued to threaten her. Becky pulled into a gas station in hopes of saving her and her daughter’s life. When Becky exited the car Mabry shot her. He then got out of the car and continued to shoot Becky, reloading his weapon at one point. After leaving Becky for dead, Mabry threw Becky’s daughter out of the car and fled the scene. Becky died at the hospital a short time later. Mabry eventually turned himself in to police and was convicted by a jury of aggravated murder and adduction. Mabry was sentenced to life in prison and now regularly comes up for parole.

Becky Kerr’s Story

A Promising Future

Becky Kerr was the oldest girl in a family of seven children. Becky, who was raised by a single mother, had a strong maternal instinct and was always there to help her mother with her six brothers and sisters. Becky loved to sew and often made clothes for her younger sisters. She especially loved Christmas and excelled at creating handmade Christmas ornaments. Becky was the first one to start decorating the Christmas tree and she always made sure it was adorned with lots of lights. Becky also had a passion for singing and anyone in her car would always hear her singing along with the radio.

Becky would eventually be in the first class to graduate from Saint Thomas Aquinas High School and soon after would give birth to her daughter Melissa. Becky always wanted to be a mom and Melissa was her pride and joy. Becky was a single mother and still managed to put herself through college and would eventually graduate with honors from Kent State University. After getting her degree, Becky became the first female building inspector for the Stark Ohio Metropolitan Housing authority. When she was not working, Becky devoted all her time to Melissa and the two were inseparable. Becky had truly fulfilled all her dreams. Sadly, on February 15, 1980 all those dreams would be shattered by a monster named Lincoln Mabry.

A Bad Relationship Ends

Lincoln Mabry was a master con-artist and womanizer. The minute Mabry, a reported drug dealer, met Becky, he immediately found his next vulnerable victim. Mabry portrayed himself as a great guy and had no problem using his smooth talking skills to win over Becky and her family. Mabry moved in with Becky who had no idea Mabry was living with another woman at the same time. Mabry then stopped working and Becky was forced to pay all the rent, utilities, and expenses, as well as pay for Mabry’s beer and cigarettes. Mabry paid Becky back by cheating on her regularly with other women.

As the relationship continued Mabry became more and more controlling and physically abusive towards Becky. Initially, Mabry would leave bruises on Becky that no one could see. As time progressed the beatings got worse. Mabry openly stated to Becky that is she left him he would kill her. In late 1979, Mabry beat Becky so bad her coworkers found her passed out in the bathroom at work the following day and she had to be rushed to the doctor. A week later, Becky would endure an even worse beating. When Becky’s family saw her face covered in bruises they said enough was enough. Becky’s older brother packed up her and Melissa’s belongings and moved them into a battered women’s shelter, where Becky believed she would be hidden and be protected. She was wrong.

Jealously and Rage Lead to Murder

On February 15, approximately one month after Becky moved out, a jealous Mabry could take it no more. He called Becky at work under the guise of asking whether he had left anything at their old residence. Mabry then started pressing Becky for her new address and phone number. Becky refused to give him any information and advised him she was seeing someone else, then ended the call. An enraged Mabry then had his mother drive him to a local bar where he had drinks with two friends.

Mabry’s jealousy and rage grew until it was time for Becky to get off work. He had his female friend drive him to Becky’s babysitter’s house and had them park in the street. When Becky arrived to pick up her daughter, Mabry sprinted across the neighbor’s lawn, pulled a gun, and forced Becky, her daughter, and the babysitter into the house. He then confronted Becky and hit her across the face with the gun, causing her to bleed heavily. Mabry told the babysitter if she called the police he would kill all of them. Mabry pushed Becky’s daughter into the back seat of the car and forced Becky into the driver seat while he got in the passenger seat. He then told Becky to drive.

While in the car Mabry, laughed and told Becky “I told you I’d find you.” He then continued to press Becky for her phone number and address and information about who she was dating. When he did not get the answers he wanted, Mabry fired the gun at Becky. The bullet missed her and went into the passenger floorboard. Realizing Mabry was totally out of control and likely going to kill her and her daughter, Becky pulled into a local gas station. Mabry pointed the gun at Becky and she pushed it away. She got out of the car and slipped. When she got back up, Mabry shot her in the stomach. Becky slipped again and stumbled to the rear of the automobile. Mabry got out of the car and continued to shoot her. At some point the gun either jammed or ran out of bullets. As Becky crawled for her life, Mabry reloaded the gun. Becky was a few feet away from the door of the gas station when Mabry stood over her and fired what is believed to be the fatal shot. Mabry then went back the car and threw Becky’s daughter out and into a gas pump. Becky’s daughter ran to her and laid down on her dying mother’s chest until police arrived. Mabry fled the scene.

A Life Lost and a Killer on the Run

Police arrived on the scene almost immediately as calls poured in from dozens of witnesses. They found Becky on the sidewalk near the door of the gas station. She was bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds and was barely breathing. Becky was rushed to the hospital where she died a short time later. Police interviewed all he witnesses including Becky’s daughter and put out an all-points bulletin to find murder suspect Lincoln Mabry.

Mabry took Becky’s car and went to see his sister in Columbus, Ohio, which was a few hours away. After arriving in Columbus, Mabry abandoned Becky’s car and carjacked a woman. He forced the woman to take him back to her house. Mabry tied the woman up and spent the night at the woman’s home. The next day, he went to his sister’s house, leaving the woman unharmed. Mabry’s sister convinced him to go back to Canton, Ohio, and turn himself into police.

Mabry turned himself in to police and confessed to everything he had done. He also gave police the murder weapon. During his interrogation, Mabry showed no remorse for what he had done.

A Life Sentence for a Heartless Killer

Mabry was charged with aggravated murder for killing Becky Kerr and abduction for kidnapping her daughter. Mabry initially pled not guilty by reason of insanity but was found competent to stand trial. Based on Mabry’s own confession, the eye witness account of Becky’s daughter, and the multitude of witnesses who saw Mabry kill Becky, it took the jury only two and a half hours to find him guilty of all charges. He was sentenced to life in prison for killing Becky, plus three to ten years for kidnapping her daughter. The sentences were ordered to run consecutively (back to back). Six months later, Mabry would attempt to appeal his conviction, citing the fact the jury was not instructed to consider voluntary manslaughter as a verdict. The judges said the error was irrelevant, citing overwhelming evidence of guilt.

No Parole

Lincoln Mabry is a heartless, cold-blooded murderer who killed his ex-girlfriend Becky Kerr simply because she wanted to escape his abuse. In addition, Mabry executed Becky in front of her eight-year-old daughter who will have to live with seeing her mother die for the rest of her life. Releasing Lincoln Mabry at any point would be a complete injustice to Becky Kerr and her daughter and would demean his cruelty to them. Based on Mabry’s history of uncontrollable rage, jealousy, and abuse, releasing him would also present a serious risk to the community, especially to any woman who may become involved with him. To further the interests of justice and protect society we urge, the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole for Lincoln Mabry at all future parole hearings until he fulfills his entire LIFE sentence.

Next Parole Hearing : July 2020  

Paula Pitts was brutally gunned down by jealous, controlling husband

Case Summary

Charles Price brutally murdered his wife Paula Pitts, a mother of four daughters. After shooting Paula six times at her place of employment Price fled the state in an attempt to elude authorities. Price was captured and showed absolutely no remorse for killing Paula and stated he wanted to be released so he could hurt other people. Price was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Although Price has spent nearly three decades in prison he continues to show no regrets for his actions and refuses to take any classes to address his criminal behavior.

Paula Pitt’s Story

A Loving Mother and Dedicated Caregiver

Paula Pitts loved her children and had a passion to help those in need. She devoted her time between her four daughters and her job, working in a nursing home where she helped the disabled and elderly. Family at the nursing home surrounded Paula, as she worked alongside her two sisters, a sister-n-law, and her grandmother, who resided in a room beside the nurse’s station. Paula was a small town girl and was known by all as a hard worker, a great friend, and an excellent mother. Life was good for Paula until she married Charles Price, an abusive con artist. In the three months they were married Price would control and torment Paula, stating that if he could not have her, no one would. On February 3, 1989 Price would make good on that promise and commit a horrific murder that shocked an entire small town community.

Three months into her marriage with Charles Price, Paula Pitts had enough of the abuse. Price would constantly monitor and control Paula, stating that he would never allow her to leave him. His jealousy would often lead to fits of rage and violence. Paula’s furniture was covered in blankets because Price had cut all the furniture with a knife during a jealous rampage. In January 1989 Paula finally made the decision to leave him for good. She left the home and went to live with her family.

Jealousy Leads To Murder

Price immediately began stalking Paula, determined to make good on his promise that no one would have her, except him. On February 2, 1989 Price realized Paula was not coming back. That night Price stole $2,800 in cash from his job at the Thornton Oil Station and then went out drinking until about 3AM. The next morning Price, armed with a gun in his pocket, went to car lot and purchased a used Cadillac with $1200 of the stolen money. Price left his van at the car lot and drove his new car to the Union Manor nursing home, where Paula and her sisters were working.

Upon walking into the nursing home Price went up to Paula’s sister Goldie and asked to see his “beautiful wife.” Goldie told him “Paula was with her sister Mary preparing the food cart.” Goldie then went to a fellow coworker at the nurse’s station and expressed her concern about how Price was abusive and should be watched.

When Paula saw Price approach her she stopped and said “you know your not suppose to be here.” Then a call came for Paula. On the other end of the phone was Paula’s father, who told her that Price had been seen the night before with a weapon, that he was looking for her, and that the Sheriff was looking for him, because he had not made the nightly deposit for his job. Paula said, “Yeah I know, he’s here,” and hung up the phone.

Price accused Paula of living with a younger man. Paula denied the accusations, and told Price “You need to leave.” Price then said “walk with me to my car then” and Paula’s response was “ do you think I’m crazy or something.” She then turned around, with Price following her. Price pulled the gun out of his pocket. Paula yelled for her sister, Goldie, who was only a few feet away. Price proceeded to fire the first shot in her back and then followed with more shots. In Price’s own words he said “she slid down the wall kicking her legs at me.”

Paula’s sister Goldie then began to yell “He shot my sister, help us God help us.” Down the hall in direct eyesight was Paula’s sister-in-law Vickie, who witnessed the first shot, followed by him emptying his gun into Paula. Vickie was then pulled out of the hallway and dragged out a window to safety. Price turned around and saw the nursing home residents staring at him. Price calmly walked down the hallway, went to the parking lot and drove away in his newly purchased Cadillac.

Police and paramedics arrived and rushed Paula to the hospital. She had been shot twice in the back, twice in the head, once in the center of her chest and once in the knee. She was pronounced dead at 12:48 PM on February 3, 1989. For the next several
hours the nursing home would be a crime scene and all 36 residents were traumatized by what they had just seen and by the aftermath of the shooting. Paula’s three family members were so traumatized that they all sought employment elsewhere.

A Captured Killer Threatens To Hurt Others

Police immediately began looking for Price. Authorities would get their first lead when he sent flowers to the funeral home. His card read, “I’ll love you forever and ever Amem.” Paula’s 11-year-old daughter found the flowers and card. Four days after the shooting Price would be arrested in Citrus County Florida where police believed he might have gone to visit family.

After his arrest Price openly admitted all he had done and was extradited back to Ohio. While in police custody on March 1st, 1989 just shy of a month after Price murdered Paula, Price would show absolutely no remorse.

Price also sent several disturbing letters to friends and family. In a letter price sent to Paula’s mother while on the run he stated, “The sooner I die the sooner I’ll get to see my baby again in hell.” He also wrote “I always wanted to see Mardi gras” referring to his plan to stop in New Orleans on his way to Florida. In another letter he sent to friends while he was in jail Price listed the return address as “Marysville Hilton”, and talks about playing cards and learning to relax. He also states, “I want to live long enough to get back on the streets one more time. There’s a couple people I would like to aggravate a little bit more.”

Price’s most disturbing statement came on March 1, 1989 while being evaluated by a nurse while he was in jail. Price asked the nurse “if he was going to live” and her response was “she thought he was going to live for a while.” Price laughed and then stated, “that if he lived through all this, there are a couple of others who deserve the same.” In addition to this, Price also wrote a letter to Paula’s mother explaining himself with the following words. “I know your Faith in God will pull you through and the sooner I die I will see my baby in hell.”

A Life Sentence and Poor Rehabilitation

Facing overwhelming evidence and a multitude of evidence Charles Price pled guilty to murder. Price was sentenced from 18-years to life in prison. The plea deal allowed Paula’s family and the nursing home residents to avoid the trauma of a jury trial.

Although Price has spent 28 years in prison he still expressed no remorse for what he did to Paula and has taken no interest in addressing his criminal behavior. In 2006 the parole board records state, “Inmate could not articulate and to why he would go to her [Paula’s] job and murder her.” In regards to a 2008 parole hearing the parole board stated, “At that time he [Price] showed no insight into his offense, lacked remorse, and had refused to participate in any programming to abate his risk to reoffend.” In 2012 the records state, “he has failed to complete recommended programs to assist with insight and remorse.”

No Parole

Charles Price is a cold-blooded killer who murdered a loving daughter, sister and mother. Releasing Price at any point would be a complete injustice to the family and friends of Paula Pitts. In addition, based on Price’s own words, releasing him would pose an incredible risk to the community, especially to the family of Paula Pitts. Based on the fact Paula Pitts is not alive as the direct result of his actions, his complete lack of remorse, and his refusal to address his criminal behavior, we believe Charles Price should be required to serve his FULL life sentence. To further the interests of justice and protect society, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny Charles Price parole at all future parole hearings until he dies in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : September 2022 

Robert Van Atta was brutally murdered on a busy street as he left work wife his wife.

Case Summary

Charles Holmes brutally murdered Roberta Van Atta and seriously wounded Mr. Van Atta’s wife Winnie as they left work on September 25, 1984. Holmes was the ex-husband of Mrs. Van Atta. Holmes fired six shots into Mr. Van Atta, a Vietnam Veteran and father of three children, and shot Mrs. Van Atta, a mother of two boys by Holmes, in the shoulder causing her permanent injury. Holmes then took Mrs. Van Atta hostage and threatened to kill her. Holmes was eventually taken down by gunfire from s sheriff’s deputy before he could harm Mrs. Van Atta. Holmes, who had a history of mental illness, pled guilty to murdering Mr.Van Atta and kidnapping Winnie Van Atta. He was sentenced to life in prison and now regularly comes up for parole.

Robert and Winnie Van Atta’s Story

An Idyllic Life

Bob Van Atta and Winnie Van Atta had finally found true love after both enduring failed marriages. The couple met while working together at Shaw Barton, a company that made calendars and sold promotional items. Bob was the manager of the accounting department and Winnie was a customer service representative. They immediately became friends and their friendship eventually blossomed into a loving relationship.

Bob had two young sons and a daughter from his previous marriage and Winnie had two young boys as well. Bob and Winnie spent every waking moment together. Their blended family was filled with joy and love and Bob’s children would spend much of their time with their father. Bob was a great dad and Winnie’s boys called him “Daddy Bob.” He spent time playing and doing things with Winnie’s sons and loved them like he loved his own children. Bob and Winnie soon married and moved to a big house to accommodate for their large family.

All was perfect until September 25, 1984, a mere 25 days into their marriage. It was a typical morning and Bob and Winnie headed to work as usual. Bob had promised to take his seven-year-old son to soccer practice after school. That afternoon, his son sat on the porch waiting for a father who would never come home again. By the end of the evening, Winnie would be a widow and five children would be left without a father.

A Brutal Murder On A Busy Street

On Tuesday September 25, 1984 Robert and Winnie Van Atta left work and headed to their car. As they were walking, Winnie’s ex-husband, Charles Holmes, approached them. Holmes then pulled a gun from his pocket and shot at Robert and Winnie. As Robert fell to the ground as a result of his wound, Holmes stood over him and fired three more shots. As people walking the busy downtown street began running and screaming, Holmes grabbed Winnie with one hand while he held the gun in the other. Winnie was bleeding from her arm, where one of Holmes bullets had struck her. Holmes then forced Winnie into she back seat of his car.

Sheriff’s deputy David Foster arrived on the scene to find Robert Van Atta bleeding on the ground in the middle of the street. He then saw Holmes in his car with a terrified Winnie Van Atta sitting next to him with a gun pointed at her. As Deputy Foster approached the vehicle, Holmes got out of the car told him “Back off or I’ll kill her.” Deputy Foster was terrified of an innocent person in the area being shot but knew that if he did not act quickly Winnie would likely be killed. Deputy Foster fired a perfect shot and hit Holmes in the shoulder, who dropped the gun and fell to the ground. Holmes was arrested and Winnie was pulled from the back seat of the car by auxiliary police officer Tom Bradshaw who happened to be at an auto parts store across the street. Robert Van Atta was rushed to the hospital with bullet wounds to his back, his chest, and his left thigh. He was pronounced dead a few hours later as a result of internal bleeding, secondary to the bullet wounds.

A History Of Mental Illness And Threatening Behavior

Winnie Ellis had met Charles Holmes during high school. While dating in high school, they decided to get married after graduation. Holmes was 20 and Winnie was 19. They divorced a year after they were married and remarried a year later after Holmes enlisted in the Air Force. Winnie became pregnant with their first son and things were great. When their son was a year old, Winnie noticed Holmes’s behavior changing. One time, Holmes called her at her friend’s house and told her Magic Johnson was in their living room and he was showing him his handgun. Winnie and her friend were so concerned they got Holmes to the military base hospital where he was admitted to the psychiatric ward. Holmes was diagnosed as manic-depressant and was told he would need to take medication for the rest of his life.

For the next ten years, Holmes would continue to display erratic behavior and had issues holding down a job. Winnie did her best to keep their family together; however, when she found Holmes drinking while babysitting their two boys Winnie decided it was time to leave. Her opportunity came when Holmes agreed to admit himself to a psychiatric hospital after threatening to hang himself. Winnie packed her bags and she and her two boys moved in with her parents. After his release from the hospital, Holmes moved in with his parents.

Shortly after their separation, Holmes began to threaten Winnie. The threats became so severe that Winnie and her parents had to lock themselves in their home. Winnie’s father often carried a gun in his pocket around the house. Winnie’s job moved her desk to a safer area to protect her in the event Holmes came to their office. Despite all their precautions, nothing was going to deter Holmes from getting back at Winnie for leaving him. Holmes’s anger would culminate on that busy street a year after his separation from Winnie.

A Killer Escapes The Death Penalty And Gets Life

Prosecutors charged Holmes with aggravated murder with death penalty specifications. As Holmes prepared for trial he and his attorneys realized that Holmes’s mental illness was a strong defense. Holmes pled not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. He was subsequently sent to a mental institution for further review. Defense attorneys also told the judge they would file a motion to dismiss the charges on the grounds Ohio’s death penalty law was unconstitutional.

Facing Charles Holmes’s severe mental issues and to avoid an injured Winnie Ellis from enduring a long trial, prosecutors decided to accept a plea agreement. Holmes agreed to plead guilty to murder with a gun specification and to kidnapping. At sentencing, prosecutor Williams Owens made it clear to the judge that, per Holmes’s own psychologist, Holmes “could kill again.” He also stated the facts showed that it is likely that Holmes went after Van Atta because he was a father figure to Holmes’s two sons.

During sentencing, Holmes gave a long-winded, 30-minute speech. Although he shot Winnie and threatened to kill her he claimed he never intended to injure her. Holmes claimed he felt totally unloved even though he was living with his parents who were taking good care of him. He claimed he “had a murderer’s heart for more than a year and a half” during which time he wanted to take his own life. Holmes said he had forgiven himself which “was the hardest thing to do.” He then said the parents of Robert Van Atta should forgive him “for their own sakes.” During the speech, Holmes spent 30 seconds explaining his own actions and the rest of the time was spent talking about what others did to him.

Judge Richard Evans then sentenced Charles Holmes to 23 years to life in prison for killing Robert Van Atta and kidnapping Winnie Van Atta.

A Lifetime Of Pain

Holmes’s horrific crimes would leave an everlasting effect on two families. Winnie Ellis would recover from her injuries however there would be permanent damage to her right arm. She would need to relearn how to use her right hand which also suffered permanent damage. She eventually was able to write however she would never again be able to do many things she enjoyed including bowling, tennis, and playing piano. Her two children lost the only real father they had ever known and will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the fact that the man that fathered to them is a cold-blooded killer who also disabled their mother.

Robert Van Atta’s children would spend the rest of their lives without a father, forced to grow up at a young age. The two older children would raise their younger brother while their mother worked to support the family. Mr. Van Atta would never see his sons excel at sports, would not see any of his children graduate, and his grandchildren will never get to meet their grandfather.

Concerning Rehabilitation

Holmes has done fairly well in prison, likely because he is forced to take medication, although he continues to have several mental issues. The most concerning episode in regards to Holmes came in 2013, 29 years after being sent to prison. Holmes, for no apparent reason, walked up to a fellow inmate who was eating and hit him in the head, knocking him to the floor. He then stood over the inmate with a clenched fist telling him to get up.

As far as rehabilitation, Holmes has failed to take classes to address his criminal behavior. In 33 years, he has yet to take a recommended victims awareness class and still has not completed recommended mental health services classes. Holmes also has no solid parole plan and if released would likely go to a nursing home or permanent support housing program.

No Parole

Charles Holmes is a cold-blooded killer who opened fire on an innocent couple on a busy downtown street. Holmes stood over an injured Robert Van Atta and executed him by firing multiple shots at point blank range. Holmes then took his ex-wife Winne Van Atta hostage and threatened to kill her. It’s a miracle Holmes did not kill more innocent people that day. At the time of his crimes, Holmes had severe mental illness issues that continue to this very day, 33 years later.

Releasing Charles Holmes at any point would create a serious risk to the community, especially to Holmes’s ex-wife Winnie Van Atta-Ellis, who survived her injuries. In addition, granting parole to Holmes would be a complete injustice to the Van Atta family and especially to the five children forever affected by Holmes’s crimes. To further the interests of justice and to protect society, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny Charles Holmes parole at ALL future hearings until he dies in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : May 2021 

Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Guther was brutally beaten, strangled, and drowned after attending a party.

Case Summary

Roberta ‘Bobbie’ Guther was savagely beaten after accepting a ride home from Robert Stidham after a party. Bobbie’s nude body was found in a creek a little over a day later. Stidham was convicted of aggravated murder based on confessions he made to friends shortly after the murder. Stidham received a life sentence and now regular comes up for parole.

Roberta “Bobbie” Guthers’s Story

A Night Out With Friends

Roberta Sue Guther, Bobbie as she was known to her friends, was 15-years-old, stood four feet ten inches tall, weighed 98 pounds and had long dark hair. Bobbie, who was a student at Georgetown [Ohio] High School, was quiet, shy and loved children. She was a good student who was never a discipline problem.

Bobbie, like most teenagers, liked to hang out with her friends. On Friday October 23rd, 1981 Bobbie decided to attend a party. One of the 12 people at the party that night was Robert Stidham. Stidham, age 21 and a two-time felon, was out on parole after spending time in prison for theft and grand theft.

The party broke up at around 3:30A.M and Bobbie needed a ride home. Stidham offered to take Bobbie home along with his girlfriend Kathy. Stidham dropped his girlfriend Kathy off first for some unknown reason and then said he would take Bobbie home. She would never be seen alive again.

A Disappearance Leads To Murder

When Bobbie did not return home her parents contacted local police. A search of the area turned up nothing. 30 hours later a man looking for a place to hunt reported he had seen a body floating in Straight Creek located between Ripley and Georgetown Ohio. Authorities arrived and found the nude, battered body of Roberta Sue Guther. She has been beaten, kicked, strangled and drowned. Her vagina was struck with such force that is split the vagina back to the anus. Based on the injuries it is obvious Bobbie fought hard to live. The coroner determined Bobbie died of a brain hemorrhage and blunt-force trauma.

Police arrested Stidham at his grandmother’s home two days later at 4:30 A.M. Authorities were led to Stidham after talking with two of his friends to whom Stidham confessed. One friend told police he was at a bar with Stidham. When the two left the bar to walk towards the friend’s house Stidham told his friend that he had gotten in some trouble the night before and murdered a girl. Stidham told the friend he was at party with some girls, and he took one of the girls down on Old 68 road and killed her. Stidham said he took some of her clothes and threw them out of his car on Old 68. Stidham told his friend he drove to Portsmouth Ohio, which is about 90 minutes away, and back before meeting up with him. The friend thought Stidham was making up a story. A short time later the friend’s brother found some bloody clothing, including a coat belonging to Bobbie Guther, stuffed in an old pickup truck behind their house, The friend also said he saw Stidham washing blood out of his truck two days after the murder. After speaking with the friend police went to Old 68 and found some of Bobbie’s clothing.

The second friend police spoke with lived in Portsmouth Ohio. He said he spoke with Stidham the day after the murder. He told the friend that he killed a “bitch” the night before. Stidham said the girl had said something to him from the back seat of his car while he was driving. Stidham said he stopped the car, turned around to the back seat and started hitting the girl. He then jerked her out of the car and began to kick her. Ultimately he kicked her between the legs and then dragged her to a creek. He then held her under water until she was dead. The friend said he saw blood clothes in the back of Stidham’s car.

A Trial and A Life Sentence

Stidham was indicted for Aggravated Murder. At trial Stidham claimed he did not have enough gas after taking his girlfriend home and he went back to the party at Bobbie’s request. Later he said someone at the party borrowed his car, the vehicle with no gas, to take Bobbie home. He said the person then came back with the car and Bobbie was naked in the back seat and there was blood on her face and she was dead. He said the person from the party then left again in Stidham’s car, threw Bobbie in the creek, and came back again. Stidham said he then left in the car and did not call police. Under cross-examination Stidham said he had no idea why his two friends would lie in front of a jury about what happened.

The jury of six men and six women took 15 hours to convict Robert Stidham of aggravated murder. Judge Harold Neu sentenced Stidham to life in prison.

Poor Behavior

Robert Stidham’s time in prison has been problematic. We have found at least nine infractions including:

• Possessing a shank (1995)
• Attempted escaped for trying to cut through his cell bars with a hacksaw. Stidham then sent half a hack saw blade to the warden and another staff member. (1997)
• Assault for spitting on a corrections office (1999)
• Assault for spitting on a nurse (2004)

Stidham has spent several years at the highest security level. In 2007 the parole board records state: “since last hearing [June 23, 2005] offender has had 3 tickets, 2 of which were for displaying threatening behavior toward staff and other inmates.”

Stidham has improved his behavior in the past several years and has somehow managed to get a job working in doggie day care. Nothing in any of the records we received indicates that Stidham has ever shown remorse or taken responsibility for his horrific actions.

No parole

Robert Stidham brutally murdered Roberta Sue “Bobbie” Guther. Stidham snuffed out the life of a child, a 15-year-old girl, who trusted him to take her home only a few blocks away. Instead he beat her, kicked her, strangled her, drowned her, and left her naked along a creek. In addition, while there was no evidence of sexual assault, the mutilation of Bobbie’s vaginal area combined with the fact she was found naked is a clear indicator Stidham is a sexual deviant and a risk to the community, especially to young girls. Based on the fact Roberta “Bobbie” Guther is not alive as a direct result of the actions of Robert Stidham, we believe Stidham should be required to fulfill his FULL LIFE SENTENCE. We urge the Ohio Board to give Robert Stidham the maximum continuance of ten (10) years at all future parole board hearings until he dies in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : December 2017 

Thomas Birman shot his two young sons in the head while they were sleeping

Case Summary

Thomas Birman murdered his two young sons to get back at his wife for wanting a divorce .Jimmy and Tommy Birman were both shot in the head while they slept. Birman pled guilty to two counts of murder with weapon specifications to avoid the death penalty. Birman was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus three years for using a gun to commit his crimes.

Jimmy and Tommy Birman’s Story

A Typical Suburban Childhood

On Sunday August 4, 1991 Jimmy Birman, age 13, and Tommy Birman, age 11, were looking forward enjoying the remaining time of their summer vacation. The two boys spent that evening riding their bicycles around their typical suburban neighborhood, Jimmy, a seventh grader at Bennett Junior High School, and Tommy, a fifth grader at High Street Elementary School, were described by a neighbor as “real friendly kids.” The two brothers were very close and both played Little League baseball and football for their respective schools.

A Troubled Marriage Leads to Murder

Mrs. Birman was in the process of ending her deteriorating marriage with they boys father, Thomas Birman, who worked as a brick mason. That Sunday evening a neighbor reported that he assumed Mrs. Birman and her husband were fighting because “she took off and he took off right after her. She left in her car and he left in his truck.”

On Monday August 5, 1991 Mrs. Birman went to work leaving Thomas Birman with their children. When she returned home from her job at around 11:15 A.M. Thomas Birman locked her out of the house and refused to let her in. Concerned for they safety of her sons Mrs. Birman called local police. When police arrived and asked about the children Thomas Birman shut the door locked it. When police asked Birman if the boys were okay he said no. The officers then forced their way into the house and found Jimmy and Tommy dead in their beds. Both had been shot in the head with a small-caliber hands gun.

A Plea Deal To Avoid A Death Sentence

Thomas Birman was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated murder with gun specifications. He was facing the death penalty for the murder of his two sons. Authorities believed Birman did the murders in attempt to get back at his wife for wanting to divorce him. Birman pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of insanity and a psychiatric evaluation was ordered by Judge Robert Lindeman. Birman was found competent to stand trail and a trail date was set for Monday April 13, 1991.

Facing certain conviction and a very likely death sentence Thomas Birman decided to plead guilty to the murders of his sons with firearm specifications. In exchange for his plea agreement Birman was spared the death penalty. He was sentenced to consecutive (back-to-back) life sentences) plus three additional years for the firearm specification.

We can find nothing to indicate that Birman expresses any remorse for killing his sons.

No Parole

It gets no worse than Thomas Birman. Not only did he brutally murder two innocent children, he murdered his own sons in an effort to get back at his wife for wanting a divorce. Birman accepted a plea deal to avoid the penalty and that is the only deal he should receive. Thomas Birman is a ticking time bomb and putting him back on the streets would endanger any woman or child that crosses his path. Releasing Thomas Birman at any point would be a complete injustice to Jimmy and Tommy Birman and would demean his extreme cruelty to them, In order to further the interests of justice and protect society were urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Thomas Birman the maximum continuance of ten years at every parole hearing until he dies in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : December 2017 

Thomas Birman shot his two young sons in the head while they were sleeping

Case Summary

Thomas Birman murdered his two young sons to get back at his wife for wanting a divorce .Jimmy and Tommy Birman were both shot in the head while they slept. Birman pled guilty to two counts of murder with weapon specifications to avoid the death penalty. Birman was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus three years for using a gun to commit his crimes.

Jimmy and Tommy Birman’s Story

A Typical Suburban Childhood

On Sunday August 4, 1991 Jimmy Birman, age 13, and Tommy Birman, age 11, were looking forward enjoying the remaining time of their summer vacation. The two boys spent that evening riding their bicycles around their typical suburban neighborhood, Jimmy, a seventh grader at Bennett Junior High School, and Tommy, a fifth grader at High Street Elementary School, were described by a neighbor as “real friendly kids.” The two brothers were very close and both played Little League baseball and football for their respective schools.

A Troubled Marriage Leads to Murder

Mrs. Birman was in the process of ending her deteriorating marriage with they boys father, Thomas Birman, who worked as a brick mason. That Sunday evening a neighbor reported that he assumed Mrs. Birman and her husband were fighting because “she took off and he took off right after her. She left in her car and he left in his truck.”

On Monday August 5, 1991 Mrs. Birman went to work leaving Thomas Birman with their children. When she returned home from her job at around 11:15 A.M. Thomas Birman locked her out of the house and refused to let her in. Concerned for they safety of her sons Mrs. Birman called local police. When police arrived and asked about the children Thomas Birman shut the door locked it. When police asked Birman if the boys were okay he said no. The officers then forced their way into the house and found Jimmy and Tommy dead in their beds. Both had been shot in the head with a small-caliber hands gun.

A Plea Deal To Avoid A Death Sentence

Thomas Birman was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated murder with gun specifications. He was facing the death penalty for the murder of his two sons. Authorities believed Birman did the murders in attempt to get back at his wife for wanting to divorce him. Birman pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of insanity and a psychiatric evaluation was ordered by Judge Robert Lindeman. Birman was found competent to stand trail and a trail date was set for Monday April 13, 1991.

Facing certain conviction and a very likely death sentence Thomas Birman decided to plead guilty to the murders of his sons with firearm specifications. In exchange for his plea agreement Birman was spared the death penalty. He was sentenced to consecutive (back-to-back) life sentences) plus three additional years for the firearm specification.

We can find nothing to indicate that Birman expresses any remorse for killing his sons.

No Parole

It gets no worse than Thomas Birman. Not only did he brutally murder two innocent children, he murdered his own sons in an effort to get back at his wife for wanting a divorce. Birman accepted a plea deal to avoid the penalty and that is the only deal he should receive. Thomas Birman is a ticking time bomb and putting him back on the streets would endanger any woman or child that crosses his path. Releasing Thomas Birman at any point would be a complete injustice to Jimmy and Tommy Birman and would demean his extreme cruelty to them, In order to further the interests of justice and protect society were urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Thomas Birman the maximum continuance of ten years at every parole hearing until he dies in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : July 2027 

Thomas Birman shot his two young sons in the head while they were sleeping

Case Summary

Thomas Birman murdered his two young sons to get back at his wife for wanting a divorce. Jimmy and Tommy Birman were both shot in the head while they slept. Birman pled guilty to two counts of murder with weapon specifications to avoid the death penalty. Birman was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus three years for using a gun to commit his crimes.

Jimmy and Tommy Birman’s Story

A Typical Suburban Childhood

On Sunday August 4, 1991 Jimmy Birman, age 13, and Tommy Birman, age 11, were looking forward to enjoying the remaining time of their summer vacation. The two boys spent that evening riding their bicycles around their typical suburban neighborhood. Jimmy, a seventh grader at Bennett Junior High School, and Tommy, a fifth grader at High Street Elementary School, were described by a neighbor as “real friendly kids.” The two brothers were very close and both played Little League baseball and football for their respective schools.

A Troubled Marriage Leads to Murder

Mrs. Birman was in the process of ending her deteriorating marriage with they boys father, Thomas Birman, who worked as a brick mason. That Sunday evening a neighbor reported that he assumed Mrs. Birman and her husband were fighting because “she took off and he took off right after her. She left in her car and he left in his truck.”

On Monday August 5, 1991 Mrs. Birman went to work leaving Thomas Birman with their children. When she returned home from her job at around 11:15 A.M. Thomas Birman locked her out of the house and refused to let her in. Concerned for the safety of her sons Mrs. Birman called local police. When officers arrived and asked about the children, Thomas Birman shut the door locked it. When police asked Birman if the boys were okay he said no. The officers then forced their way into the house and found Jimmy and Tommy dead in their beds. Both had been shot in the head with a small-caliber hand gun.

A Plea Deal To Avoid A Death Sentence

Thomas Birman was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated murder with a gun specification. He was facing the death penalty for the murder of his two sons. Authorities believed Birman commited the murders in an attempt to get back at his wife for wanting to divorce him. Birman pleaded innocent and innocent by reason of insanity and a psychiatric evaluation was ordered by Judge Robert Lindeman. Birman was found competent to stand trial and a trial date was set for Monday April 13, 1991.

Facing certain conviction and a very likely death sentence Thomas Birman decided to plead guilty to the murders of his sons with a firearm specification. In exchange for his plea agreement Birman was spared the death penalty. He was sentenced to consecutive (back-to-back) life sentences plus three additional years for the firearm specification.

We can find nothing to indicate that Birman expresses any remorse for killing his sons.

No Parole

It gets no worse than Thomas Birman. Not only did he brutally murder two innocent children, he murdered his own sons in an effort to get back at his wife for wanting a divorce. Birman accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty and that is the only deal he should receive. Thomas Birman is a ticking time bomb and putting him back on the streets would endanger both women and children that cross his path.

Releasing Birman at any point would be a complete injustice to Jimmy and Tommy Birman and would demean his extreme cruelty to them. In order to further the interests of justice, protect society, and due to the fact Birman killed his own young sons, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Thomas Birman the maximum continuance of ten years at every parole hearing until he dies in prison.

Release Date : On or after Oct. 1 2018  

22-month-old Christopher Sprague was murdered by his mother and brutally raped by his father

Case Summary

On November 14, 1994 Christopher Sprague was rushed to the hospital after a friend of Christopher’s mother’s called 9-1-1. Christopher was barely breathing when medical personnel arrived and he would die shortly after arriving at the hospital. Della Sprague, Christopher’s mother, said she hit him with a closed fist on the back to stop him from coughing. During the autopsy it was discovered that Christopher was also raped multiple times. Authorities questioned Christopher’s father, Mark Sprague, who admitted to raping his son on three separate occasions a month before Christopher’s death. Della Sprague pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and received a 2-10 year prison sentence. She is now free. Mark Sprague pled guilty to two counts of rape and one count of felonious sexual penetration. He received three life sentences and is now days away from possible release.

Christopher Sprague’s Story

Born To Suffer

22-month-old Christopher Sprague is buried under a small tree in Greenwood Cemetery. A flat grave marker is the only thing that reminds people he existed on this earth. During his short life, Christopher never knew the comforts of a warm clean bed, nor the delight a nutritious meal made with love. He had no one to console him in the middle of the night when awakened by a bad dream. Instead, he endured complete neglect and abuse that would eventually lead to his death.

A House Is Not A Home

Christopher was born January 8, 1993, to Mark and Della Sprague. Butler County Ohio Children’s Services knew the family well by that time due to the poor treatment of Christopher’s three-year-old brother.

Christopher Sprague suffered from the day he was born. His extended family described the family residence as “atrocious” and a “filthy, roach-infested mess.” One family member stated, “At times there was no food. We’d go in (to visit) and there would be no milk, no diapers. The house was bug-infested, and the sanitary conditions were unbelievable.” Other family members claimed, “They would let the children outside in cold weather with no clothes“, and “The only toys they had were the ones family members gave them at Christmas. It’s a shame the baby had to suffer the way he did for his whole life.”

Della and Mark Sprague’s severe neglect led to Christopher’s lack of adequate mental capacity for his age. He did not possess the appropriate fine motor skills and, at the age of 22-months, he was still learning to crawl and could not yet speak.

Several complaints were filed with the Butler County Children Services Agency reporting the squalid living conditions that young Christopher and his older brother were subject to daily; however, nothing was done. The Spragues participated in parenting classes because they were forced to, but nothing changed for Christopher and his brother and they continued to suffer on a daily basis. In 1994, the decision to leave Christopher in the custody of Della and Mark Sprague would cost him his life.

Murder Leads To A Shocking Discovery

In the early morning hours on Monday November 14, 1994, emergency medical personnel responded to a 911 call from the home of a close personal friend of Della Sprague. Della was visiting the friend while Mark Sprague was out of town. When medical personnel arrived, Christopher was barely breathing. He was rushed to Mercy Hospital of Hamilton, where he would die a short time later.

Christopher’s mother insisted that trauma inflicted on Christopher was a result of her ill attempt to stop him from coughing as he often suffered from coughing spells. Authorities believed the death was unintentional and charged Della Sprague with involuntary manslaughter. An autopsy was performed on November 19 and it would reveal something much worse.

Butler County Coroner Richard Burkhardt determined Christopher did not die from a blow to the back. He stated Christopher sustained an injury causing an artery near his heart to rip open and bleed out internally. This type of injury is caused by hyperextension of the spine, more commonly occurring in children as a result of traumatic neck injury due to a fall. The autopsy also revealed that Christopher had been sexually assaulted on numerous occasions.

Father Admits To Raping His Son

Police began questioning Mark Sprague. Sprague began crying after a lie detector test and admitted to Detective Frank Smith that he was “sick and needed help.” When Detective Smith asked Mark Sprague why, he said that he had sexually abused Christopher. Mark Sprague admitted to sexually assaulting Christopher on three separate occasions in the month before Christopher’s death. According to the Ohio Parole board records, Mark Sprague admitted to “putting his finger and his penis in his son’s rectum.” He was charged with two counts of rape and one count of felonious sexual penetration.

Two Trials Net Two Plea Deals

Mark Sprague went on trial first. Sprague’s lawyer attempted to get Mark Sprague’s taped confession thrown out of court, citing diminished mental capacity of his client and a coerced confession by law enforcement. The judge disagreed and ruled the evidence admissible. Facing almost certain conviction by a jury and 25 to 30 years in prison before parole eligibility, Sprague agreed to plead no-contest. Judge Michael Sage sentenced him to three life terms to be served concurrently (at the same time). As a result of the plea deal, Mark Sprague would become eligible for parole after 15 years. Sprague showed no visible emotion during his sentencing.

The no-contest plea meant Sprague did not admit guilt to the criminal charges. He neither disputed nor admitted to sexually assaulting his son. However, in 2000 we would finally learn exactly what Sprague did to Christopher when he was interviewed during an evaluation. Sprague claimed he was drinking that day, stating “Only thing I remember is I was just drinking a little bit, and the next thing I know I was sitting there doing it.” He said he thought about it for “maybe a couple minutes.” Sprague stated he was thinking about his wife who was not home at the time. He said, “I wasn’t thinking nothing toward the child. I was just feeling good. That’s all I was thinking about, getting off.”

Della Sprague was tried several months after Mark Sprague was convicted. She pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter before the third day of her trial. She was sentenced for 2-10 years and is now free.

Sexual Predator

Mark Sprague has been relatively well-behaved in prison, which is not uncommon for child molesters. That being said, his rehabilitation in questionable. Sprague took a victims awareness class in 1995; yet in 2004, a decade after he was convicted, parole board records state, “He claims he cannot remember the crime.” How can he successfully pass a victim awareness class without admitting to his crime?

The courts determined Sprague to be a sexual predator, meaning there is a high likelihood of him committing another sex crime against a child. A psychiatric report on Sprague states, “Therefore it is my opinion that, if Mr. Sprague were to find himself in a living situation where another infant or small child were available to meet his sexual needs, he would have a high likelihood of committing another sexually-oriented offense.”

Child Rapist Granted Tentative Parole

Unbelievably, the Ohio Parole Board granted Mark Sprague tentative parole on October 23, 2017. The Ohio Parole Board records state that Sprague has “community support.” Current Butler County Ohio Prosecutor Mike Gmoser states, “To say he has community support is little more than fiction masquerading as fact.” The Ohio Parole Board records also state the “community would benefit from a period of parole supervision.” Considering both the courts and a psychiatrist have stated Sprague is likely to commit another sex offense against a child, who would benefit from Sprague’s release is unknown.

No Parole

Mark Sprague is a sexual predator and a deviant. It gets no worse than a parent who will murder or sexually assault his or her own child. In addition, it is clear that if Sprague is released he is likely to commit the same, if not more egregious crimes. Based on the facts of this case, there is substantial reason to believe that Mark Sprague’s release into society would create undue risk to public safety, especially to young children.

Releasing Mark Sprague at any point would be a complete injustice to Christopher Sprague and demean Mark Sprague’s cruelty to him. Sprague was sentenced to THREE life sentences and thus he should be required to spend the remainder of his natural life in prison. To protect society and to further the interests of justice we urge the Ohio Parole Board to reverse Mark Sprague’s parole and keep him in prison until fulfills his ENTIRE life sentence.

Next Parole Hearing : November 2027 

Nine-year-old Coretha Mitchell was walking to school when she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered

Case Summary

Coretha Mitchell, age nine, was on her way to school when she was kidnapped, raped, and murdered by Benjamin Richey. Richey then left Coretha for dead on the ground the at the park where he assaulted her. By the time Richey led police to Coretha, 24 hours later, it was too late to save her life. Facing overwhelming evidence Richey pled guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison. He was later convicted of a felonious assault charge for stabbing a fellow inmate 12 times. Although it has been over four decades Richey still refuses to take classes to address his criminal behavior.

Coretha Mitchell’s Story

A Little Girl Disappears

Nine-year-old Coretha Mitchell left home around 8 A.M. on July 18, 1974 looking forward to a field trip at school where she was attending summer classes. Coretha, who was a third grader at Charles Lake Elementary school, stood four feet, one inches tall and weighed 55 pounds. When Coretha did not arrive home that afternoon her mother called the school and was told Coretha did not arrive that day. Mrs. Mitchell contacted police and the search began to find Coretha.

Suspect Leads Police Missing Child

During the investigation Cleveland Ohio Police spoke with neighbors who said they saw Coretha get into a yellow car driven by Benjamin Richey Jr. Richey was the boyfriend of Coretha’s aunt. Police questioned Richey who initially refused to provide any information. One day later, at approximately 10 P.M. on July 19, 1974 Richey told police Coretha was in the Cleveland Metropolitan Park District and agreed to take the police officers to her.

Police found Coretha in the park lying on her back. She was severly beaten and barely breathing. When a detective flashed a light on Coretha’s face she blinked her eyes and tried to shield her face with her arms. A rescue squad was called and Coretha was rushed to Bedford Municipal Hospital. She would be pronounced dead on arrival at 11:40 P.M.

Richey was charged with aggravated murder with rape specifications. He was also charged with abduction for immoral purposes for an attempted rape of an 11-year-old girl just over a year earlier, Richey was alleged to have taken the girl to the exact same spot where Coretha was found. The girl was able to escape before Richey could rape her.

Horrific Injuries End With Murder Plea

Cuyahoga County Deputy Coroner Charles Hirsch ruled that Coretha died as a result of being strangled and being struck repeatedly on her head with a hard sharp object. The autopsy report detailed horrific injuries including multiple stabbing injuries to Coretha’s face, a fractured skull, and bruises all over her body. In addition, the autopsy report clearly showed severe sexual trauma including multiple lacerations and contusions to Coretha’s genitalia.

Richey knew the evidence against him was overwhelming so rather than go to trial he decided to take a plea deal. Richey pled guilty to aggravated murder and the remaining charges were dropped. Common Please Judge John T. Patton sentenced Richey to life in prison for kidnapping, raping, and murdering Coretha Mitchell.

Very Poor Rehabilitation

Richey’s time in prison has been problematic. In 1981 he stabbed another inmate 12 times, which resulted in a felonious assault conviction adding another 2-15 years to his life sentence. According to his parole records Richey was an “untreated sex offender” in 1993 and there is nothing indicating he has taken any sex offender classes since that time. Although Richey has been in prison for 43 years he has still not take a victim awareness class. According to the Ohio Parole Board documents from Richey’s last hearing in 2008, “Few programs completed. He did complete vocational electronics in 2007. However he refuses to complete programs listed in his re-entry accountability plan.”

No Parole

Benjamin Richey is a monster and he is absolutely the worst of the worst. He raped, stabbed, beat, and strangled innocent nine-year-old Coretha Mitchell and left her on the ground to die alone in a park. She lay on that ground terrified and dying for 24 hours until Richey finally told police where to find her. By then it was too late to save her life. Richey has shown no remorse in the last 43 years and still refuses to take classes to address his criminal behavior.

Releasing Benjamin Richey at any point would be a complete injustice to Coretha Mitchell and would demean his extreme cruelty to her. In addition, releasing Richey at any point would pose a serious and imminent threat to the community, especially young girls. To further the interests of justice and protect society we urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Benjamin Richey the maximum ten-year continuance at all future parole hearings until he serves his FULL life sentence.

Next Parole Hearing : August 2021  

Two months after being paroled for beating his three-year-old stepdaughter Candice Johnston to death William Lanham beat his new girlfriend’s baby daughter causing permanent brain damage

Case Summary

Candice Johnson, age three, was beaten to death by William Lanham because he “was tired of listening to the baby whine.” Although Lanhan received a life sentence for brutally murdering Candace inexplicably he was paroled after serving only ten years in prison. Five months later Lanham severely beat his new girlfriend’s five-month-old daughter causing multiple broken bones and permanent brain damage. Lanham was convicted of endangering children and was sentenced to an addition five – 15 years in prison. Lanham is now attempting to be released on parole for a second time.

Candice johnston’s Story

Uncontrollable Rage Results in Murder

On June 8th, 1981, Charlotte Lanham and her three-year-old daughter, Candice Johnston, were dropped off at Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital by Candice’s step-father, William Lanham Jr. Candice was unconscious and admitted to the hospital with multiple head and torso injuries. Doctors soon determined the injuries were the result of severe child abuse. William Lanham Jr. was arrested when he returned to the hospital later that day.

Little Candice would never regain consciousness. She died the following week due to what the coroner’s office said were “head injuries caused by a beating.”

Lanham, who was initially charged with attempted murder, was charged with aggravated murder for killing Candice.

According to homicide detective James Svekric, Lanham, who was a karate expert that loved to wear his karate pants around the house, had beaten Candice with his hands, feet, and a stick at least four or five times in the past. Det. Svekric stated “He [Lanham] was tired of listening to the baby whine.” When Mrs. Lanham was asked where she was during the beating, she claimed was upstairs at their home, and did not interfere out of fear for her own life.

A Child Killer Gets Life

In the opening statements of Lanham’s trial, County Prosecutor Edward M. Walsh stated that Lanham smashed his step-daughter against a wall because she was unable to put on pants the way he had instructed her. After she collapsed, he picked her up by her hair, slammed her against the same wall, and kicked her until she lost consciousness.

During the trial, Mrs. Lanham stated that Lanham would punch and kick Candice on a regular basis.

Rev. Earl Craddock, pastor at Grace Freewill Baptist Church testified against Lanham, said that he had refused to marry Charlotte and Lanham due to the fact he had severe misgivings about Lanham’s treatment of Candice. “I didn’t perform the ceremony,” he stated, “mostly because of his reactions about the baby. When we talked about his willingness to accept the baby in a family unit, he’d turn his head, he wouldn’t answer my questions at all. So I felt I shouldn’t complete the ceremony.” The Lanhams would eventually seek out another minister to marry them.

Rev. Craddock also stated Mrs. Lanham had summoned him to the hospital while Candice was in the emergency room, and he promptly asked to be taken home because he was so sickened by Candice’s injuries.

Lanham took the stand is his own defense. He admitted to beating Candice, as well as instructing Candice’s mother to lie and tell hospital officials that Candice had fallen down the stairs. He claimed he hit Candice on several occasions for wetting her bed, rolling her toy cars on the table, and crying for no reason. Lanham also stated that he had struck his wife on multiple occasions.

A jury had no problem finding Lanham guilty of murder. The jury could not determine if Lanham’s crime was premeditated so he escaped the greater charge of aggravated murder.

At sentencing, Judge Robert M. Lawther told Lanham, “Let us hope that the years of incarceration will not all be wasted – although we are not at all convinced that imprisonment does any good – and that you will gain the maturity to start a new life when you come out.”

Lanham was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison

Judge Lawther’s hopes would be dashed soon after Lanham was released on parole after serving a mere 10 years of his life sentence.

What is Past Is Prologue

After his release on parole in 1991, Lanham quickly moved in with another woman. She too had a small child, and that child soon fell victim to Lanham’s anger. Authorities stated that Lanham’s abuse began two months after his parole began and lasted for two years.

The abuse began in the summer of 1991 and the first confirmed report came on August 3rd, 1991 when Lanham’s girlfriend’s five-month-old daughter was brought to the hospital with multiple injuries including broken ribs, a skull fracture, and broken leg bones.

Although her daughter was severely injured and in the hospital, the girl’s mother inexplicably married Lanham two weeks later.

The baby’s mother was eventually charged for the abuse, however she was not prosecuted immediately because the family moved to Pennsylvania where Lanham had accepted a job in June of 1992. She was arrested the following October after returning to Ohio and spent 2 months in prison before admitting to authorities that Lanham was responsible for the injures.

Lanham was arrested once again and charged with felonious assault and child endangering.

Another Trial, Another Conviction

The baby’s mother stated in court “I tried to stop him and argue with him, and that’s when he would start hitting me.” She further described beatings by Lanham, saying once he ripped her clothes off and choked her until she passed out, and that he would squeeze, shake, or push the baby.

When questioned as to why she married Lanham two weeks after the baby was first admitted to the hospital, she said “He wanted to get married instead of waiting.” The woman told the court she had refused to approach authorities and report Lanham for the abuse because she was too scared to admit the truth. She claimed she wrote letters to Lanham while they lived in Pennsylvania that said he was “a loving, devoted husband and father” because asked her to do so.

Unable to determine who caused the injuries to the little girl, Judge Judith Cross found Lanham guilty of child endangering and sentenced him to additional 5 to 15 years in prison. Lanham’s wife was found guilty of child endangering as well and was also sent to prison. The mother has been released and her whereabouts are unknown. Lanham remains in prison and is currently serving the remainder of his life sentence for killing Candice Johnston.

Questionable Prison History

Lanham’s parole records from his last hearing in 2015 indicate that his institutional conduct is positive; however it also states that he “needs to have formalized programming relative to the management of his risk relevant behaviors.” The records state that Lanham has “strong community support.” We are not sure what constitutes community support, however we find it hard to believe any community would want a paroled child killer who also severely beat another young child in their midst. The report concludes by stating “There is substantial reason to believe that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate into society would create undue risk to public safety, or the release of the inmate would not further the interests of justice or consistent with the welfare and security of society.”

No Parole

William Lanham, Jr. is a cold-blooded child killer who beat little Candice Johnston to death and then, after being paroled for that crime, severely abused an innocent baby girl causing her permanent brain damage. Lanham preys on single mothers, takes advantage of their poor judgment, and as a result their innocent children suffer the awful consequences. Nothing in the parole board records indicate that Lanham has taken responsibility for his actions or shown remorse for his crimes.

Releasing William Lanham Jr. a second time would be a complete injustice to both child victims and would demean his cruelty to them. In addition, releasing him at any point would pose an extreme risk to the community especially young children. Lanham has already proven once that he will continue his abusive ways if put on parole and under no circumstances should he be given another opportunity to hurt another innocent child. To further the interests of justice and protect society, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Lanham the ten year maximum continuance and require him to serve his maximum sentence of Life in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : October 2018 

Karen Reeves was raped and murdered after being abducted while babysitting

Case Summary

Michael Stevens abducted 12-year-old Karen Reeves while she was babysitting at his home. Stevens took Karen to a wooded are where he raped her, stabbed her repeatedly, and strangled her. Stevens fled the state and eventually went to Minnesota where he went into a church and admitted to his crimes. Based on information Steven’s gave in his confession authorities found Karen’s decomposed body. Stevens pled guilty to aggravated murder and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Karen Reeves’ Story

Next Parole Hearing : October 2018 

kevin Green was abducted and brutally murdered while he was outside riding his new Huffy bicycle

Case Summary

11-year-old Kevin Green was abducted and murdered as he rode home after riding bicycles with his friend. Kevin’s partially nude body would be found by his mother the next day lying in heavy brush beside a set of railroad tracks. it didn’t take long for authorities to arrrest Richard Lawler, a recently furloughed felon who had been sentenced to 8-40 years for kidnapping and raping two little boys. Based on overwhelming evidence a jury had no problem convicting Lawler of aggravated murder and kidnapping. Laweler was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole and likely escaped a death sentence because it was not an option at the time of crimes.

Kevin Green’s Story

Next Parole Hearing : October 2018 

Seven-year-old Laranda Jones was beaten to death by her mother’s boyfriend for drinking milk and juice

Case Summary

Laranda Jones, age seven, was forced to run stairs by her mother’s boyfriend, David Bowens, after she drank juice and milk from the refrigerator. When Laranda could not go on Bowens beat her unmercifully with a switch from a tree, a vacuum cleaner pipe, a belt, and an electrical cord causing over 100 wounds to her tiny body. By the time Bowens and the girl’s mother called an ambulance it was too late. Laranda would die at the hospital as a result of the injuries inflicted by Bowens. Bowens was convicted by a jury of murder and child endangerment and was sentenced to 15 years to life on the murder charge and two to five years for the child endangering charge.

Laranda Jones’s Story

A Horrific Beating

On July 21, 1988, Laranda Jones drank milk and juice that was in her family’s refrigerator. When Laranda’s mother’s boyfriend, David Bowens, learned the beverages were gone he became irate and decided Laranda needed “corporal punishment.” This discipline included military like drills that called for the young child to run up and down the stairs repeatedly. When Laranda complained of being too tired to finish, she was beaten with various blunt objects including a switch from a tree, a plastic pipe from a vacuum, an extension cord, and a leather belt. The more Laranda protested, the more she was beat. Finally, after being beaten unmercifully, Laranda bent over the stairwell. A few minutes later she would topple over the railing falling to the floor. According to Laranda’s sister who witnessed the beating she looked like a “monster” and was bloodied when her ear got caught on a nail as she tumbled to the floor.

When Bowens realized Laranda was no longer breathing he tried to give her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. When that failed he put her in cold water in the bathtub. When he realized Laranda was still not breathing Bowens and Laranda’s mother, who had been asleep, called an ambulance. Bowens put Laranda in a sundress and laid her on the floor. He then went and hid in the attic with the seven other children who lived in the household.

Once paramedics arrived on the scene they were greeted by Laranda’s mother, Antonia Jones. Jones directed paramedics to the middle of the living room floor where Laranda was laying wrapped in towels of ice. She had no pulse and was not breathing. While paramedics performed CPR, first responders asked Jones what happened and she stated Laranda had fallen down the stairs about 20 minutes earlier. She told the paramedics she and Bowens tried to revive Laranda using ice water and by laying on top of Laranda to warm her up. Paramedics were skeptical of this explanation because young children do not normally go into full arrest—no breathing, no pulse—just from a fall.

When medical professionals cut Laranda’s sundress they discovered multiple U-shaped bruises on the side of Laranda’s body. When questioned about the bruises, Jones admitted that the child had “gotten a whipping.” Paramedics then advised firefighters to contact law enforcement.

Young Laranda was taken to Ashtabula County Medical Center at 1:45 P.M. She was pronounced dead less than an hour later. The county coroner’s office stated Laranda, whose death was ruled a homicide, died from blunt impacts to the head, trunk and extremities.

A Chilling Confession

Bowens told police he used corporal punishment on Laranda because she took milk out of the refrigerator, messed with the juice, and left a faucet dripping. According to Bowens, he ordered Laranda to run up and down the steps. When Laranda became exhausted and sat down, Bowens said he hit her four times to get Laranda to get up. When she refused he beat her more with a belt. Bowens said, “I kept hitting her with the belt, but she only got up and ran half way and sat down on the step. She said she was sick and wanted to go to sleep, but she’s done that kind of thing before.” Bowens said he left and Laranda fell down the steps and would not get up. Bowens told authorities, “When I went in to get her up, she had spit and goo coming out of her mouth, like she was in shock, so I carried her up to the bathroom giving her mouth to mouth resuscitation” he said, “I put her in cold water, then I remembered that with shock you have to keep them warm so I took her out.” By that time Antonia Jones was awake and he stated he told her to get the children out of the house and take them back to Washington DC.

David Bowens and Antonia Jones were both charged with involuntary manslaughter and child endangerment. Bowens’s charge was later upgraded to murder.

Bowens Has His Day In Court

The trial of David Bowens began on June 6, 1989. Jones’ eight-year-old daughter, who witnessed the entire beating, testified regarding everything she saw.

Cuyahoga County pathologist Robert Challener, who stated Laranda died from multiple focal injuries, gave powerful testimony. He stated the injuries were inconsistent with falling down a flight of stairs or even a traffic accident. He said the force of the blows had to be great. “She was hit hard enough to scrape or abrade the skin,” he stated. “These were not gentle taps, they had to be very hard impacts.” Dr. Challener said that multiple wounds on the body were deep enough to cause severe muscle bruising on the back and buttocks. The doctor said two kinds of injuries were present, one type was U or C shaped bruises potentially caused by a belt buckle and linear shaped marks caused by a stick or straight object. Dr. Challener told jurors Laranda’s death was not caused by one injury; it was the cumulative effect of all the injuries. “There were so many wounds that I lost count. It was better than 100 injuries, but that might be an understatement,” he stated. Dr. Challenger said Laranda likely died due the fact that when a person is struck or bruised, the injuries cause the blood vessels to dilate. Too much dilation can result in death because there would not be enough fluid volume to maintain life.

Bowens took the stand in his own defense and admitted administering corporal punishment. He claimed he questioned Laranda and another one of the children for drinking the juice and milk intended for the family for the third time in a week. When Laranda would not run the stairs he spanked her with a belt when she refused. Bowens claimed Antonia Jones beat her daughter with a switch while she was laying on the floor complaining of a broken bone. Bowens claimed that when Laranda got up to eat breakfast in the dining room she was spanked again for lying. He said he did not hit Laranda with a belt buckle and she was not hit more than 20 times. Bowens denied the statement he originally gave to police and said it was wrong. He offered no explanation for the over 100 bruises the coroner found on Laranda’s body. Bowens was the only witness for the defense.

When the six-day trial concluded it took the jury only seven hours to find Bowens guilty of murder and child endangering. Bowens was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the murder charge and two to five years for the endangerment charge.

No Parole

David Bowens is a cold hearted child killer. He used something as minor as drinking a milk and juice juice without permission as an excuse to wield unrelenting terror and abuse on a helpless young girl.

Based on his cavalier attitude and lack of empathy during sentencing, it is clear that David Bowens has no remorse for his actions. He simply doe not think he did anything wrong and that what happened on that tragic day in July 1988 was an accident even though the courts proved otherwise.

Releasing David Bowens at any point would be a complete injustice to Laranda Jones and would demean his cruelty to her. In addition, placing a ruthless child killer like Bowens back on the street would pose an immeasurable risk to the community, especially young children. To further the interests of justice and to protect society, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole for David Bowens and give him the maximum continuance of 10 years at all future parole hearings.

Next Parole Hearing : November 2018  

Seven-day old Tiffany Todd was sexually assaulted and beaten to death by her father Richard Hoff

Case Summary

Seven-day-old Tiffany Hoff was sexually assaulted and beaten to death by her father Richard Hoff. Hoff originally blamed the injuries on the family dog however later admitted to jumping up and down on Tiffany’s tiny body claiming he “lost control”. Hoff states the injuries to Tiffany’s rectum occurred as a result of a thermometer and bouncing Tiffany on his knee. The autopsy report revealed older injuries which included multiple broken ribs and a traumatic injury to Tiffany’s mouth. Hoff pleaded no contest the charges of murder and felonious sexual penetration and was sentenced life in person for the felonious sexual penetration charge and 15 years to life for Tiffany’s murder. Hoff was later ruled a sexual predator, the most dangerous all sex offender classifications.

Tiffany Hoff’s Story

Born To Suffer

Tiffany Amber Hoff was 19-inches tall, weighed 15.4 pounds and spent the short 49 days she lived on this earth being abused by her parents. Her abuse culminated on November 16, 1988, when her father beat her unmercifully. Tiffany suffered for two days before being brought to Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron by her parents Richard and Cynthia Hoff.

Upon arrival, Tiffany was admitted to the intensive-care unit suffering from shock, respiratory failure, multiple fractures, multiple bruises and a distended abdomen. Further tests revealed hematomas of the bowel and liver, multiple healing rib fractures, and a traumatic injury to Tiffany’s mouth.

Tiffany was put on a ventilator and never regained consciousness. She died at 11:05 PM on November 18, 1988. The cause of death would be cardiovascular collapse due to hypovolemic shock, a result of multiple traumatic injuries involving the liver, spleen, distal esophagus, stomach, duodenum, pancreas, small and large bowels, and region of her anus and distal rectum.

An Inconsistent Story

When questioned about her death, Tiffany’s parents reported to police that she was alone with her father, Richard Hoff, the night that she was brought to the hospital. Hoff’s statements to Cuyahoga Falls Detective T. Tipton varied with each retelling. The basic story from Mr. Hoff was that he was working at home on the computer with Tiffany lying on the floor on a blanket with a full grown Doberman pinscher lying between Tiffany and the computer desk. According to Mr. Hoff, “something or someone spooked the dog, he lunged and landed on top of the baby, knocking the baby into the computer table.” He stated Tiffany had no breathing problems at that time. Mr. Hoff stated he checked and fed the baby at 10PM however by 11PM the baby was having difficulty breathing and he took her temperature which was two degrees colder than usual. Rather than take Tiffany for medical assistance Mr. Hoff decided to wait for his wife to return home, approximately a half hour later, “to see if she thought the baby was having problems.” Mrs. Hoff arrived home, but waited two days to get Tiffany help. She eventually wrapped the baby in a blanket and took her to the hospital.

Both parents explained away many of the injuries as happenstance. The bruise on Tiffany’s eye was from falling in a bathtub. The injury to her mouth was from Tiffany scratching herself. The vaginal and rectum injuries were from bouncing Tiffany on their knees and from the rectal thermometer. According to hospital personnel, none of their explanations were consistent with the massive injuries Tiffany suffered.

Richard Hoff was held by police under suspicion of child abuse and Cynthia Hoff was released.

Richard Hoff eventually admitted to Detective Tipton that he jumped up and down on Tiffany’s body. He stated, “I lost control of myself and I caused my daughter’s death, but there was no sexual conduct whatsoever.”

A Pattern of Abuse

Summit County Coroner William Cox stated Tiffany died from internal bleeding after suffering blows to her stomach. The blows caused bleeding in her liver, spleen, stomach, pancreas, and bowels. The autopsy also revealed older injuries, including multiple broken ribs. Dr. Cox also stated “These are not recent rib fractures – they were in the process of healing.” He also said the injury to Tiffany’s mouth was “several days old.” The autopsy revealed there was damage to Tiffany’s rectum and vagina. Dr. Cox stated the rectum had been penetrated, although it did not appear that she had been raped.

A Hoff family neighbor would later admit that she had seen Tiffany 2 days before her death, and that she had a battered and bruised face at the time. She said she knew something was wrong with her, but did not know who she should contact and consequently did nothing to help her.

A Child Killer Gets Life

Richard Hoff was charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, felonious assault, felonious sexual penetration, and child endangering. Cynthia Hoff was later charged with child endangering since she did not immediately transport her daughter to the hospital for her injuries. She surrendered to police a short time later.

Richard Hoff would plead innocent and innocent by reason of insanity to his charges; Cynthia would plead innocent as well.
Richard Hoff, likely facing certain conviction, pled no-contest for murder and felonious sexual penetration, meaning he admitted the truth of the allegations without pleading guilty. He was required to serve concurrent sentences of life for felonious sexual penetration and 15 years to life for murder.

The charges against Cynthia Hoff were dismissed. She would never be held accountable for her actions.

No Remorse

Although Hoff continues to deny sexually assaulting Tiffany, in 1999 Judge Patricia A. Cosgrove determined there was enough evidence to rule Hoff a sexual predator, the most dangerous of all sex offender classifications.

Although it has been just under 30 years since Tiffany’s murder, Hoff still has no remorse for what he did to Tiffany. Parole documents from Hoff’s last parole hearing in 2014 state, “Offender Hoff has served over 25 years for the horrible and senseless murder of his seven week old daughter. He shares no remorse for his crimes.” The records conclude by noting, “There is substantial reason to believe that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate into society would create undue risk to public safety, or that due to the serious nature of the crime, the release of the inmate would not further the interest of justice or be consistent with the welfare and security of society”

No Parole

Richard Hoff is a vicious child killer who sexually assaulted and murdered his defenseless seven-week-old daughter. He is a dangerous predator who has shown no remorse for his actions. Granting Hoff’s request for parole would be a serious miscarriage of justice and would demean Tiffany Amber Hoff’s suffering. Additionally, Hoff’s release would pose a serious risk to the community, especially young children.

Based on Richard Hoff’s horrific crimes, we believe he should be required to fulfill the full two life sentences he agreed to when he pled no-contest to murder and felonious sexual penetration. To further the interest of justice and protect society, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole and give Hoff the maximum 10-year continuance at all future parole hearings.

Next Parole Hearing : November 2018  

Two-year-old T’Airicka Allen was severely burned and stangled to death by her mother Nickellia Allen

Case Summary

Two-year-old T’Airicka Allen suffered two to three days with serious third degree burns after she was placed in a bathtub filled with scolding hot water. Her mother then strangled little T’Airicka to death. Nickellia Allen, who was charged with child endangering four month’s earlier when she injured her five-year-old daughter, refused to admit her actions despite overwhelming evidence presented at trial. Allen was convicted of murder by a jury for killing T’Airicka and Judge Maureen O’Connor handed down the maximum sentence of 21.5 years to life. We have nothing to indicate Nickellia Allen has taken responsibility for her actions or shows remorse for her crimes.

T’Airicka Allen’s Story

A Little Girl Is Found Dead

On April 6, 1994, Nickellia Allen called 911 and reported her two-year-old daughter T’Airicka was unconscious. Allen was at her cousin’s home babysitting her cousin’s children as well as her own. When paramedics arrived on the scene to try to resuscitate T’Airicka, they discovered that she had been dead for some time. They were unable to put a breathing tube down T’Airicka’s throat due to rigor mortis.

Paramedics immediately brought T’Airicka to the Children’s Hospital Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Upon further examination, the doctors discovered some horrific and shocking evidence refuting Nickiella Allen’s story about how she found her daughter unresponsive that evening.

Shocking Autopsy Revelations

Upon examination of T’Airicka’s body, Summit County Coroner William Cox discovered multiple 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her lower half, including her buttocks, groin, and the back of her legs. According to the coroner’s report, the burn pattern was typical of a child who had been placed into a tub of scalding hot water. The coroner also determined that she was strangled with a thin cord, something around the size of a telephone cord or clothes line. In addition, T’Airicka suffered four fractured ribs that were in various states of healing.

Nickellia Allen was taken into custody by police under suspicion of child abuse and the murder of her two-year old daughter. Allen told authorities that the burns were a week old and had occurred when her five-year old daughter ran the bath too hot while T’Airicka was bathing. According to the coroner’s office however, that did not hold with the age of the burn injuries, which seemed to be 24 to 48 hours old.

Nickellia Allen was charged with murder, as well as two counts of child endangering. The first child endangering count was for violating a duty of care because Allen did not take T’Airicka to the hospital after she was burned. The second charge was for torturing T’Airicka.

History of Abuse

At the time of T’Airicka’s death, Nickellia was no stranger to Children’s Services. Authorities learned that Allen had previously been charged with and plead guilty to child endangering regarding an injury she had caused to her five-year old daughter four months earlier.

Allen had been beating her five-year-old daughter to discipline her when the girl fell and cut her chin on the table in front of them. Instead of taking her child to the hospital, Allen elected to sew up the injury using a plain needle and thread. At first, Allen lied to authorities about sewing up her daughter’s injury, but eventually admitted the truth to a social worker. When asked why she did not take her to the hospital, Allen stated that she did not want Children’s Services to watch her or to take her daughters away from her.

Allen was sentenced to 30 days in jail for her the abuse, but the sentence was suspended and she was instead given six months of probation. Despite the advice of Children’s Services, the Juvenile Court returned all three children to Allen following the sentencing.

A few months later, Allen, who was a senior in high school at the time that T’Airicka was murdered, was expelled from her school when she brought a stun gun to class with her.

An Abusive Mother’s Murder Trial

At Nickellia Allen’s trial, jurors were shown graphic slides of the burn injuries on her daughter’s lower half. A family friend was brought in to testify, stating that when she had visited the home where the Allens were staying during the week leading up to T’Airicka’s murder, she heard T’Airicka in a bedroom shouting, and Nickellia told her to go back to bed or she would be whipped again.

While testifying in her own defense, Allen acknowledged that “everyone was watching” her due to her previous violent episode directed at her eldest daughter but that she did not kill T’Airicka. She stated that she had fed her 2- and 5-year old daughters around 9:30 PM on April 5th, and the girls went to bed around 11 PM. She then woke them up around 3:30 AM to straighten their bedcovers. According to Allen, it was around 11 AM the next morning that her 5-year old came to tell her that T’Airicka did not wake up or respond when she had pulled her sister’s hair.

Allen said she went into the bedroom to tickle her daughter to wake her. “I was tickling her on her sides,” said Allen. “She didn’t move. I just thought she was in a deep sleep so I tickled her on her other side. I was calling her name and shaking her on the shoulder and she still didn’t move.” Allen continued, “I thought she was playing. I turned her over and the whole side of her face was blue. I touched her face. Her face didn’t move. I lifted up her shirt and put my ear to her chest but I didn’t hear nothing. I still didn’t feel nothing.”

Allen testified that T’Airicka’s burns were from a bath where the hot water was turned on part-way through, she claimed that the injury was about a week old, and looked like a sunburn at the time. She also said that she had wrapped the bleeding burns herself with bandages. Counter to her claims, County Coroner Cox stated that the burn pattern was not consistent with a child who was already in or climbed into a bathtub, instead indicating that the child had been lowered into the scalding hot water intentionally.

Dr. Cox had a very different story based on the evidence. He stated it wasn’t the burns or infection from those injuries that killed T’Airicka, but the cord-like object around the neck that did so. There were fine lines on her neck and back that showed where the object had been tightened enough to restrict her windpipe. According to Cox, T’Airicka would have become unconscious and silent after only a few seconds, and likely was strangled around four total minutes before she died.

Police reports presented to the jurors indicated that Allen called 911 to summon an ambulance for her daughter around noon on April 6th, 1994. However, evidence showed that T’Airicka had not been breathing for between 8 and 12 hours before paramedics were summoned. Cox said that he used the contents of the girl’s stomach and how well they were digested to determine the time of death. This was corroborated by the fact rigor mortis had already set in on her little body.

Assistant County Prosecutor Judy Bandy cross-examined Allen in court that day, and Allen admitted that she had been taking parenting classes since she was in 9th grade, shortly after she had given birth to her first daughter. Despite this, Bandy used Allen’s actions during her oldest daughter’s abuse and injuries to show what kind of mother she truly was, indicating that she is willing to beat her children and then lie to authorities just to avoid trouble. When the defense claimed that there were no witnesses to prove that Allen had abused and murdered her daughter, Bandy said “T’Airicka’s body has been telling you what happened to her.”

A Child Killer Gets Life

Based on overwhelming evidence a jury found Nickellia Allen guilty of murder and two counts of child endangering.

Summit County Common Pleas Judge Maureen O’Connor sentenced Allen to 15 years to life in prison for murder, as well as five to 15 years for torture and 1 and a half years for child endangering. Judge O’Connor stated, “T’Airicka suffered most of her life. She suffered at the hands of an abusive mother. Quite frankly, I have difficulty using the word ‘mother’ to refer to you because you are the opposite of what God ever intended a mother to be.”

Judge O’Connor elected to have Allen’s sentences served consecutively (back to back) rather than concurrently (at the same time) in an attempt to keep Allen from hurting another child. Allen was also sentenced to an additional six months for violating her parole on the charges she received because of the abuse to her oldest daughter.

Poor Prison Conduct

Allen’s prison conduct has been far from ideal. She has received 10 disciplinary tickets for actions such as being disrespectful to prison officers, being out of place, and having consensual sex with a fellow inmate. She has completed some institutional programming, but has not shown remorse for her actions. The parole board found that she is likely to offend again when she was considered for parole in 2009, and gave her a continuation of her sentence for an additional 10 years as a result.

No Parole

Nickellia Allen is a violent and abusive child murderer who shows no remorse for beating, torturing, and murdering her own baby. Based on her previous abuse charges, her horrific crimes against T’Airicka, and her poor prison behavior, we believe Nickellia has proven that she will offend again if she is released on parole.

Allowing Nickellia Allen to rejoin society would demean the abuse that she put daughter through and would disrespect T’Airicka’s suffering. In addition, releasing Nickellia Allen would not further the interest of justice and would pose an immeasurable risk to the community by placing any children Allen would come into contact with in severe danger. To protect society we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole for Nickellia Allen and give her the maximum ten-year continuance at all future parole hearings until she serves her full life sentence in prison.

Next Parole Hearing : December 2018  

Four-year-old Kia Taylor was starved to death by her Aunt Joann Givens

Case Summary

Four-year-old Kia Taylor and her four sisters were sent to live with their paternal aunt Joann Givens when there drug addicted mother could not properly care for them. Givens then starved all five children resulting in Kia dying from starvation. When Police arrived at they home and found Kia dead and emaciated and three of her four sisters starved and in very poor condition. They also found Givens three children, two cats, and pet iguana all well nourished. Kia’s sisters all survived however three of the children suffered severe problems as a result of being starved by Givens. Givens was arrested and pled guilty to murder and five counts of child endangerment. She was sentenced to concurrent sentences of 15 years to life for murdering Kia and 5-15 years for each the five child endangering charges.

Kia Taylor’s Story

A Child Born Without Hope

There are no pictures of four-year-old Kia Taylor. There will be no graduations, school dances, marriage, or children. Kia was born into a life of despair. Kia’s single mother was a drug abuser and an unfit parent. Several of her children tested positive for cocaine at birth. Kia’s father was not present in her life. Although Kia’s mother was ill-equipped to care for children, she managed to have eight of them. She lost custody of her children multiple times. A foster mother, who took care of Kia and her 6-year-old sister in 1992, 1994, and 1995, described Kia as “a perfectly healthy, little, chubby child.” She said Kia was laid-back and liked to eat, always asking for second helpings.

An Extensive History Of Neglect And Abuse

In September 1994, a judge decided Kia and her four sisters should be placed with their paternal aunt Joann Givens. Givens, who already had three children of her own, took the little girls and all the financial support that went with them.
It did not take long for Children’s Services to start visiting Givens home. Multiple warning signs were reported and witnessed by several state agencies including:

• An anonymous phone call reporting that the children were malnourished and that the parents were selling and using drugs.

• On two occasions, once with Kia and once with Kia’s sister, a black eye could be seen on the girls. These were declared by Givens as accidents.

• Doctor’s records showed many missed appointments; in addition, the records also showed Kia having low red blood cell count, a frequent indication of malnutrition.

• The staff of Williams Patrick Daycare failed to notify anyone that Joann Givens wrote on an application that Kia’s younger sister was getting up at night to root through the garbage for food, eating bits of skin and flesh scraped away from her own limbs, and at least one report of her eating her own feces.

• Givens took the four girls to a clinical psychologist in an attempt to get disability payments. He interviewed Givens and three of the children. He noted Kia was shy, timid, inactive, and unsmiling during the interview. He stated Kia ate excessively, “like some children who have been deprived and traumatized in their life.” The psychologist also noted the only words he could make out in Kia’s 21-month-old sister’s babbling was “food” and “eat” and that “she ingested both edible and inedible substances such dirt and wood.” He never reported any of this to the county.

• A teacher at the school which Givens three daughters and Kia’s older sister attended complained to Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services that one of the girls was malnourished and dirty.

While most of these warning signs were investigated, the investigating caseworker continued to claim that everything was fine. Three months after the latest warning sign, Kia was found dead.

A Tragic Death

On June 9, 1996, Joann Givens called authorities and told them she found Kia unresponsive in her bed. Cleveland Police and medical personnel arrived and found Kia dead. It appeared Kia had expired some time prior to the call and had been dead for over 24 hours.

Authorities also found Kia’s four sisters suffering from malnutrition. One of the children stated they were locked in a room and had to drink water from a toilet. All four children were taken to the hospital.

Givens three children Givens were found well fed, as were the family’s pet iguana and two cats.

Police reported Givens house was filthy with rotting food.

Joann Givens was arrested and charged with murder and three counts of child endangering.

Aftermath

Kia Taylor was transported to the coroner’s office where she was pronounced dead at 2:25PM on June 9th, 1996. She weighed only 18.5 pounds. Her ideal weight should have been 40-44 pounds. The cause of death was determined to be malnutrition.

Joann Givens’ three children, all healthy and well-fed, were placed into foster care.

Kia’s eldest sister, aged seven, was thankfully being fed at school and did not require extensive treatment. She was also placed in foster care.

Kia’s younger sisters, aged 18 months, two and a half years, and four years, all suffered from serious malnutrition. One of the children had a stomach disorder, a blood infection, and a hairball in her stomach. Dr. Lolita McDavid, medical director of the child protection unit at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, stated, “You would be appalled if you saw these children without their clothes on. They looked like children from a Third World Country. You could count their ribs, and their bellies were swollen.” The children also had bowed legs, a symptom of rickets, and a vitamin D deficiency likely caused by a poor diet and little exposure to the sun. “What hit me most was their lack of expression,” said Dr. McDavid. “It was like they were starting into space, like you see in Biafra.” Several weeks later, the girls were released from the hospital and sent to homes of loving foster parents, where they would continue working through developmental problems and being treated with antibiotics for their infections.

Child Murderer Sentenced To Life

When police arrested Joann Givens, they found in her possession $360 in cash, $328 in food stamps, and a social security check for $144 that was for one of the underfed children.

Givens refused to take any responsibility for her actions and claimed the children were “crack babies” who refused to eat. The foster mother Kia lived with before she was murdered adamantly refuted that claim.

Facing overwhelming evidence and a likely certain conviction, Givens pled guilty to murder and five counts of child endangering. The aggravated murder charge was dropped.

Judge Thomas Patrick Curran gave Givens the opportunity to speak on her behalf. Givens stated, “I’m very sorry. Under the circumstances, I’d rather not make a statement.” Judge Curran told her this was her chance to speak and Givens again declined. The judge told Givens, “The court does not have the vocabulary to accurately condemn and denounce these crimes. These crimes are unthinkable.” Judge Curran then sentenced Joann Givens to 15 years to life for murder and 5-15 years for the child endangering charges. All counts were ordered to run concurrent (at the same time).

Questionable Prison Records And A Failed Release

Givens has done well in regards to prison programming and behavior. However, there are serious questions in regards to her remorse and accepting responsibility for her actions.

In her 2009 parole report, the parole board records state, “The inmate expresses remorse and does not feel the child’s death was purposeful.”

In 2014, the records state, “Inmate Givens case is aggravated by the case specific factors of chronic neglect, multiple child victims, the ages of the victims, severe violation of trust, and extensive victimization. Inmate Givens lacks remorse and victim empathy.”

In 2017, the records state, “Inmate takes responsibility for the instant offenses, utilizing insight and remorse.”

While we would like to believe inmate Givens has some kind of miracle transformation we seriously doubt that for 18 years this child killer refused to take any responsibility for her actions then three years later she is completely accepting responsibility and showing remorse. We believe this is a ploy to get parole rather than accepting responsibility and genuine remorse.

In June of 2017, the Ohio Parole Board decided to parole child killer Joann Givens. We joined the Cuyahoga County Ohio Prosecutor’s Office in an attempt to get her parole reversed, however the parole board refused to reconsider their decision. Joann Givens was scheduled to walk out of prison in December 2017, until she was thrown out of the reintegration program. She was sent back to prison and now the parole board is trying to release her once again.

No Parole
Joann Givens is a cold-blooded child killer who tortured and murdered her niece Kia Taylor by starving her to death. In addition, Givens starved Kia’s four sisters and it was nothing short of a miracle that none of the rest of them died as a result of this abuse. Several of the children suffered serious health conditions as a result of Givens’s actions. Based on parole board records, in the 21 years since Kia’s death, Givens refused to take any responsibility for her crimes and finally accepted responsibility in 2017, likely in an effort to be granted parole.

Releasing Joann Givens after serving only 21 years of a life sentence would be a complete injustice to Kia Taylor and her four sisters and would demean her extreme cruelty to them. In addition, Givens’s continued failure to accept responsibility for her actions and the fact she was thrown out of a re-entry program after being paroled in 2017 clearly indicate she not ready to rejoin society. Based on the horrific nature of Givens’s crimes, the age of and vulnerability of the victims, and Givens repeatedly failing to accept responsibility for her crimes for over two decades, to further the interests of justice we urge the Ohio parole board to give Joann Givens the maximum continuance of ten years before her next parole hearing.

Next Parole Hearing : January 2019

Eight-month-old Tabitha Dockery was beaten and strangled to death by her mother’s boyfriend

Case Summary

8-month-old Tabitha Dockery was beaten and strangled to death by her mother’s boyfriend, Russell Johnson. Johnson and Tabitha’s mother, Jewel Dockery, initially claimed that Tabitha must have chocked on her own vomit while in bed. The autopsy report revealed that Tabitha was beaten around the head and strangled, first by hand and then with a cord or rope, until she suffocated. Johnson was found guilty by a jury of his peers and sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for Tabitha’s murder. (NOTE: petition is below the full story below)

Tabitha Dockery’s Story

A Short Life of Suffering

Tabitha Lynn Dockery was 8-months-old when her mother Jewel Dockery and her mother’s boyfriend, Russell Johnson, decided to spend time smoking marijuana with their friends on the night of Wednesday, January 20th, 1993. Jewel Dockery and Russell Johnson had reversed their sleep schedule to accommodate the baby. At 5 p.m. the next day, after a hard night of partying, Johnson called to Dockery and told her Tabitha was not breathing.

Johnson began trying to resuscitate Tabitha, until a neighbor came to their aid and took over in the resuscitation effort. When paramedics arrived, they rushed Tabitha to Kettering Memorial Hospital, where she would be pronounced dead by doctors shortly after arrival.

The Lies Begin

When giving their initial statements to police, Jewel Dockery and Russell Johnson claimed that Tabitha had been up late, and was fussy at around 4:30 a.m. “She was teething and she wouldn’t sleep,” said Dockery. They claimed that they tried playing with the baby and fed her a bit of blueberry cake to try to calm her. They then placed her back in the makeshift hammock they had strung up between the corner of their waterbed mattress and a drawer of their dresser near the foot of the bed. Around 6 a.m., they gave Tabitha a bottle.

According to Jewel, “about noon, she woke up and wanted another bottle. Russ went and got her one. He came and got right back in bed again.” Then around 5:30 p.m. Dockery claimed that Johnson awoke her and stated that Tabitha was not breathing. “We started freaking and right away he started her CPR. He had his hands in the front of her neck to pry her jaw open, and he had his hand on her cheekbones to help bring her head back to open her passageway. He was breathing in her mouth and massaging her heart with two fingers.”

According to Dockery, the Moraine city police officers began asking “offensive questions.” Dockery claimed she did not believe them when they said her child had been strangled. “They had a dead baby,” Dockery said. “They had a baby with hand marks around her neck. But my baby was not strangled. I believe what happened is she had gotten sick and she choked on it. I believe she choked on her vomit.”

Russell Johnson also said he was disturbed when police began asking him questions. “They might have been doing their job, but that disturbed me and Jewel,” he said. “I did not hurt that baby,” he added. Regardless of their statements, police Sgt. Joe Wynn claimed, “there are too many inconsistencies in their story.”

A Disturbing Autopsy Report

Upon examining the body of Tabitha Dockery, Montgomery County Coroner James Davis discovered that she had been beaten on the head and that her killer attempted to strangle her by hand, and then finished the job with a cord or rope of some kind. The bruises on her head were recent, according to Davis, and were not consistent with any attempt for resuscitation or with the incident described by Jewel Dockery.

“There were multiple bruises – deep bruises – about the skull,” said Davis. “It is not possible for it to be anything but a homicide.” Coroner Davis estimated that Tabitha’s death could have occurred over a period of three to five minutes, but may have also lasted “10 to 30 minutes or longer.”

Jewel Dockery cried when she was given the coroner’s findings. “I still hear her cry. I can still hear her crawl. I still hear her. Sometimes I still think I see her.” She claimed that the findings had to be wrong, saying that the red marks around Tabitha’s neck were irritated skin due to dried-up drool. She also said her cranial bruising happened a week before her death when Tabitha fell to the floor off of her grandmother’s bed.

An Arrest and an Indictment

Before any announcement was made, Tabitha’s grandmother, Alice Dockery, was hoping the responsible party would be duly punished, whether it be Russell Johnson or her own daughter Jewel. “Whoever could have done that,” she said, “I hope they get what’s coming to them. Whether it be Russ, whether it be my daughter. They deserve what’s coming to them.” Even Jewel was unsure how she felt about Johnson during the investigation, saying, “I love him and all. It’s just – I don’t know, there’s still a little part of me that says, ‘Jewel, he did this to the baby.’”

After a three month investigation, police arrested Russell Johnson based on the evidence. He was then indicted for Tabitha’s murder. Upon learning of Johnson’s arrest, Alice Dockery said, “I am so happy that my ‘baby’ can rest in peace. And I’m glad my daughter wasn’t involved.”

The Truth Revealed at Trial

Jewel Dockery testified against Johnson at trial, and explained to prosecutors why she lied to police during the investigation. She had at first claimed that she had awoken several times during the day of the murder and helped care for her daughter. It was revealed at trial that she had slept all day after a night of smoking marijuana with Johnson and some friends, and had convinced Johnson to care for Tabitha while she continued sleeping.

When asked why she fabricated the stories to the police about caring for her throughout the day, she claimed it was out of guilt for how she had been raising her daughter. Then during the investigation, Jewel claimed that Johnson told her there were things he could not tell her about the crime, and indicated that there was no longer any link between Jewel and Tabitha’s father now that Tabitha was dead. Jewel went straight to the police and agreed to wear a wire during the conversation that Johnson wished to have with her.

County Prosecutor David Franceschelli spent much of the trial grilling Johnson about statements he made to other witnesses that incriminated him in Tabitha’s murder. He told one friend, “I did it. I did it. It’s my fault,” but tried to explain the confession away, saying, “I didn’t fully explain myself to [his friend].” The prosecution also brought up the claims Dockery made that Johnson had planned to remove some cords from the trailer after hearing the autopsy report stated that a cord was used to strangle Tabitha. When asked to admit to his guilt by the prosecutor, Johnson stammered, “I tried to save that child’s life!”

Justice for Tabitha

After 11 hours in deliberations, the Common Pleas Court jury found Russell Johnson guilty of the murder of Tabitha Dockery. “I’m feeling extreme happiness because the man who murdered my daughter is behind bars now,” said Jewel Dockery. “I’m sorry for his family because they had to do without him. But I want them to realize what I have to do without for the rest of my life and what their son took away from me. My baby can finally rest.” Johnson was given a life sentence for his crimes.

No Parole

Russell Johnson is a cold-blooded child killer who strangled and murdered 8-month-old Tabitha Dockery. Any monster that can kill an 8-month-old child by beating and strangling them to death deserves to serve their full life sentence in prison. Releasing Russell Johnson would be a complete injustice to Tabitha Dockery and create an undue risk to any child with whom he may come into contact. To further the interests of justice and to honor Tabitha Dockery, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny Russell Johnson’s parole and force him to fulfill his life sentence.

  Next Parole Hearing : Feb 2019

10-year-old Danny O’Donnell was beaten and strangled to death by a family acquaintance 
 

Case Summary

10-year-old Danny O’Donnell was beaten and strangled to death by his friend’s brother, Jeffrey Deel. Deel, then 15, dumped Danny’s body in Lake Erie and returned to his home. Danny was found a short time later. Deel denied any involvement with the crime; however, the evidence proved he committed the crime. A jury found Jeffrey Deel guilty and he was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for Danny’s murder.(NOTE: petition is below the full story below)

Danny O’Donnell’s Story

A Boy’s Curiosity Leads to His Death

On October 23rd, 1984, 10-year-old Daniel (Danny) O’Donnell left his family home around 6:00pm to see the fish that 16-year-old acquaintance Jeffrey Deel had caught earlier that day. He rode his sister’s bike to the beach where Deel had been fishing and drinking beer with a friend earlier in the day. Danny’s family would never have guessed that they would never see Danny again. His beaten and strangled body would be found face down in 2 inches of Lake Erie water only an hour later.

Teenage Tales

Jeffrey Deel was a fifth year Boy Scout who had gone to the beach with his friend on October 23rd, 1984, and the two drank a six-pack of beer while fishing. Deel had also stolen two cans of spray-on hair coloring from a local pharmacy, and the boys spent time at the beach spray painting obscenities on a wall. Around 5:10pm, Deel’s friend left him at the beach and traveled home. Deel then packed his fishing gear and rode his bike in the direction of his own home.

On the way there, Deel rode past Danny O’Donnell’s house, where he claimed to see Danny and two of his sisters outside carving pumpkins together. Danny was friends with Deel’s younger brother, and Danny asked Deel if he had caught any fish while he was out. Deel stated, “yes, a sheepshead.”

According to Deel, he traveled straight from the O’Donnell home to a convenience store to buy a sandwich, and then went to a laundromat across the street to eat his food and play pinball. He claimed that this was around 6:22pm that evening. He said that he went home shortly afterward, arriving close to 7pm. It was close to an hour after he arrived home that police called at the Deel household to ask about Deel’s involvement with Danny’s death.

Shocking Courtroom Confessions

After talking to police on two separate occasions, Jeffrey Deel admitted to the crime and was arrested on October 26th and charged with Danny’s murder. It was not long after his arrest that the Madison Township Police Department filed a complaint against him. The same day, the prosecution filed a court motion to consider Deel an adult for his crimes, as he was not amenable to rehabilitation at the juvenile institution where he was being held. The juvenile court agreed and ordered Deel’s case transferred to the Court of Common Pleas to be tried as an adult.

During his trial, it was revealed that Deel had screamed, “Yes I did it!” at former chief deputy sheriff Richard Amiott during an interrogation session. When asked for further details, Deel said, “You tell me” and began to cry before questioning ceased 5 minutes later. When Deel was asked about this exchange during his trial, he said, “I got sick and tired of him asking the same question, so I got angry and said I did it,” claiming that he thought it was the only way to end the interrogation and that he “didn’t mean it.”

There were multiple eyewitnesses called to the stand in Deel’s trial that corroborated his presence at the O’Donnell household on the day that Danny was killed. Some of the witnesses saw Danny riding away from his home with Deel, and one even saw Deel at the retaining wall with Danny. Danny’s father Charles and multiple neighbors were able to identify the clothing Deel wore on that day, including his blue jacket, an orange knapsack, and high waders for fishing.

Courtroom Evidence

Sergeant James Dooley was the first officer on the scene where two people on a walk had discovered Danny’s body. Dooley testified that he jumped down from a five-foot high retaining wall down to where he found Danny’s bicycle in a “puddle” of blood. He also found a wooden board with more blood under it.

Dooley also noticed an eleven-foot arc in the lake sand from the puddle of blood to the lake where Danny’s body was discovered, which officers determined was a “drag path.” There were also spatters of dried blood along the path. Two days later, criminalist Barbara Caraballo found blood spots on the retaining wall that Dooley had to descend down from to find Danny’s bike.

Dr. J.M. Edelstein performed Danny’s autopsy and found that the front half of his skull was completely shattered, his face was contused, and his neck had bruises, scratches, and compression marks that indicated strangulation. His lungs also had multiple pinpoint hemorrhages. Dr. Edelstein testified that Danny was killed as a result of both the strangulation and the blunt impacts to his head and face. However, he was unable to determine which injury occurred first. He did note that Danny’s death was not a result of drowning, despite the fact that his body was found in Lake Erie.

Criminalist Caraballo testified that the blood she found around the bike, on the wooden board, and on the retaining wall matched Danny’s Type-O blood. She also found Danny’s blood on the orange knapsack that police recovered from the Deel household. The blood patterning dispersed on the left strap indicated it was the result of a blow, and that it had dripped from another item onto the right strap. Caraballo was unable to find any more blood on the clothing that police collected from the Deel home, as Jeffrey Deel admitted to washing his shoes, waders, and all other pieces of clothing after returning home that night.

A Life Sentence and Poor Rehabilitation

Deel’s trial lasted one week. Based on the evidence, a jury of six men and six women found Deel guilty of Danny’s murder. Judge Paul H. Mitrovich sentenced Deel to fifteen years to life in prison.

In 2010, parole board records state that Deel had yet to take a victim’s awareness class, and no records since that time indicate that this has changed. He has completed very little other institutional programming, none of which has been in an attempt to reduce his likelihood to reoffend in the future.

After 28 years, Deel had begun to admit to his crimes, but offered little insight as to why he committed such a heinous act. The 2013 parole board decision states, “While the inmate is beginning to demonstrate greater remorse and empathy in relation to the crime, the inmate continues to demonstrate limited insight into why he committed it.”

In 2016, while Deel was forthcoming about his crimes, the Ohio Parole Board indicated that there was substantial reason to believe that Deel’s release would “create undue risk to public safety” or would “not further the interest of justice.”

No Parole

Jeffrey Deel is a cold-blooded murderer who brutally killed his brother’s friend, 10-year old Danny O’Donnell. He beat Danny with a board and strangled him, then dumped his body in a lake and left the scene. Releasing Deel would demean his cruelty to Danny O’Donnell and would put the general public at danger of suffering from his cruelty again. To further the interests of justice and to honor Danny O’Donnell, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole for Jeffrey Deel and to force him to fulfill his life sentence.

Next Parole Hearing : February 2019

 
Ricky Layfield brutally murdered his six-month-old son to get back at his estranged girlfriend 
 

Case Summary

After fighting with his girlfriend, Ricky Layfield took their 6-month-old son Joseph and told his girlfriend, “You’ll never see him again.” The next morning Layfield’s father found Joseph dead in his playpen. Joseph had a stab wound in his neck and had been drowned in the kitchen sink. Layfield left notes to his ex-girlfriend and his parents admitting his crime. After Layfield’s insanity defense was rejected, he pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. (NOTE: petition is below the full story below)

Joseph Brooks’ Story

A Violent Episode and A Deadly Threat

On May 11, 1988, Ricky Layfield arrived at his estranged girlfriend Paula Brooks’ house to drop off his 6-month-old son. Ms. Brooks had met Layfield after leaving her husband George Brooks, with whom she had one daughter. Ms. Brooks and Layfield moved in together and a short time later, Ms. Brooks gave birth to her second child, Joseph Allen Brooks. A few months after Joseph’s birth, Layfield and Ms. Brooks would separate and Layfield would take his son for regular three-day visits.

Layfield became irritated that day when he found Ms. Brooks’ estranged husband at the home. Mr. Brooks was visiting his daughter. Layfield would frequently accuse Ms. Brooks of planning to rekindle her marriage with Mr. Brooks and plotting to keep Joseph from him. Layfield, who already had two police reports filed against him by Ms. Brooks in the previous 30 days, went into a rage. He choked Ms. Brooks twice and slapped her in the face with his open hand. Mr. Brooks helped his estranged wife out of the house and was then chased by Layfield, who threatened to kill him. Ms. Brooks got into a car driven by a male acquaintance to escape. Layfield punched the driver five times in the face and broke out the driver side window of the vehicle. Layfield picked up his son and told Ms. Brooks, “I’m taking Joseph and you’ll never see him again.” He then drove to his parents’ house.

Ms. Brooks called police, who arrived a short time later. She advised them they should get Joseph because Layfield was not acting sanely. Ms. Brooks stated the police told her the baby was as much his as it was hers. Police were unsuccessful in finding Layfield however; according to Police Capt. Wayne Cairns they would have no right to take Joseph from him unless they believed the child was in danger.

According to neighbors of Ms. Brooks, Layfield came to their home after police left the scene. One of the neighbors stated, “Rick [Layfield] told us he felt like he was going to stab her but then he said, and these are his words, he came to his senses.” The neighbor continued, “He just didn’t want his kid even being around George [Brooks].”

A Brutal Murder

On May 12, 1988, Ricky Layfield’s father was getting ready to go to work when he found an apologetic letter on the kitchen counter. The letter was from his son, and it was then that Layfield’s father checked on his grandson Joseph in his playpen and discovered that he was not breathing. Layfield’s father called authorities, who arrived and tried to revive Joseph, but it was too late. The baby was dead. The coroner determined Joseph died from suffocation as a result of being held underwater in the kitchen sink. The coroner also found a deep stab wound to Joseph’s neck. Ricky Layfield was arrested and charged with aggravated murder for killing his 6-month-old son.

When Layfield was arrested, he was already on probation for an earlier theft violation. He had violated this probation both by being out after his 10PM curfew and by assaulting Ms. Brooks.

Strong Evidence lead To Plea Deal

The most powerful pieces of evidence against Layfield were the letters left to his parents and Ms. Brooks.

In the letter to his parents, Layfield wrote, “Mom and Dad, I’m sorry. I can’t change what I’ve done.” He made it clear he did not want to go to prison. According to a detective, “It [the letter] indicated he would not go to OSR [Ohio State Reformatory]. He indicated he would no longer like to be around.”

In his letter to Ms. Brooks, Layfield blamed her for his actions. The letter stated, “So this could all have been prevented if you would have done two things, love me honestly and not lied to me and loved Joseph honestly and not pretended you loved him so much.”

Layfield attempted to plead not guilty by reason of insanity. However, two psychologists stated he was clearly sane at the time of the murder. Dr. James Sunbury’s report stated, “Based on Mr. Layfield’s current test results and interviews and based on witness statements and Mr. Layfield’s note that he wrote about the time of the crime, it is my opinion that he was not suffering from any mental disease or defect so severe as to make him unable to know right from wrong in this regard.”

Facing a wealth of evidence, Layfield accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to a lesser charge of murder. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Poor Rehabilitation

Since his incarceration, Ricky Layfield’s rehabilitation efforts have been far less than stellar. He has had a variety of offenses while in prison, including disobedience, disrespect, and contraband. His 2009 parole board records list his institutional conduct and programming as “fair.” In the most recent records from 2014, the parole board states, “He admits his behavior, but has done nothing to prepare for release. He has no programs completed and he continues to get tickets for minor violations. Given the nature of his offense, his lack of release preparation and his continued conduct, he is not suitable for release”

No Parole

Ricky Layfield calculated and premediated the brutal and violent death of his 6-month-old son Joseph Brooks. There is nothing worse than a parent who will brutally murder their own innocent child. While the parole board records indicate that Layfield admits his crime, there is nothing that states he feels remorse for his horrific actions. Based on the fact Ricky Layfield has “done nothing to prepare for release” and “has no programs completed,” it is clear his release would pose an incredible risk to the public, especially young, vulnerable children. In addition, granting parole to Ricky Layfield at any point would be a complete injustice to 6-month-old Joseph Brooks and would demean Layfield’s cruelty to him. In order to further the interests of justice and protect society, we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole to Ricky Layfield and give him the maximum 10 year continuance at all future parole hearings until he fulfills his life sentence.