"Craigslist Killings" mastermind sentenced to death
Beasley to pay for murders in Noble & Summit Co. with his life
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: April 4, 2013
The mastermind of the "Craigslist Killings," previously convicted in the deaths of three men and the wounding of a fourth, will pay for his crimes with his life.
Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Lynn Callahan handed down the death sentence to 53-year-old Richard Beasley in an Akron courtroom on Thursday morning. The jurors which convicted Beasley in March recommended the death penalty. Judge Callahan did not opt for a sentence of life imprisonment, which was on the table.
Beasley and a teenaged co-conspirator lured their down-on-their-luck victims to Noble and Summit Counties in late 2011 with fake ads for a farm job in rural southeast Ohio, then robbed them. The lone survivor of the attacks, Scott Davis, played a key role in prosecutors' case when he testified against both Beasley and his accomplice.
Brogan Rafferty, who was 16 years old at the time of the plot, was too young to face the death penalty. Judge Callahan sentenced Rafferty to life behind bars on his conviction last year.
Jury selection begins in "Craigslist Killings" case
More than 230 prospective jurors called in on Tuesday
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: February 26, 2013
More than 230 prospective jurors will be scrutinized on Tuesday leading up to the trial of the alleged mastermind of the so-called "Craigslist Killings."
According to the Akron Beacon-Journal, the group will gather at the Akron Civic Theatre for jury selection in the case of 53-year-old Richard Beasley. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Beasley in connection with three murders and one attempted murder that took place in Noble and Summit Counties.
Although opening statements and testimony are not expected to begin until next week, the lone survivor, Scott Davis, is expected to again set the tone and place Beasley at the scene of the murders. Seventeen-year-old Brogran Rafferty, who was previously convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in the crimes, has been supoenaed to testify against his former mentor, as well.
Authorities say Beasley and Rafferty's four victims were lured to remote areas of southeastern Ohio by bogus job ads on Craigslist. They were slain between August and November 2011.
Photo: Richard Beasley hangs his head during an appearance in Summit County Court. Photo courtesy of Paul Tople, Akron Beacon-Journal
E-mails, texts linked to "Craigslist Killings" suspect
Alleged mastermind could face death penalty, if convicted
by Z. Daniel Barnett - Published: March 5, 2013
A series of e-mails and text messages were added to the mounting evidence against the alleged mastermind of the "Craigslist Killings" on Monday.
Prosecutors continued to make their case against 53-year-old Richard Beasley, who has been charged in the deaths of three men and the wounding of a fourth in Noble and Summit Counties in late 2011. If convicted on any of three aggravated murder charges he faces, he could receive the death penalty.
A forensic computer analyst testified on Monday that multiple e-mails sent by and to Timothy Kern - the last victim of the slayings - link him to an ad for a non-existant farm job in Noble County, and to Beasley. Kern's son also shared a series of text messages from his father, sent hours before his death in November 2011.
Prosecutors also presented surveillance footage from an Akron-area Waffle House that appeared to show Beasley and Kern meeting on the day he was shot.
The evidentiary phase of Beasley's trial is set to continue on Wednesday.
