Billy Shafer
Victim: Sara West, five
Age at time of murder: 16
Crime date: February 14, 1993
Crime location: Zanesville
Crimes: Child molestation, murder of a child, corpse mutilation, conspiracy to commit mass murder, and terroristic threatening
Murder method: Stabbing and shooting
Weapon: Knife and gun
Murder motivation: Satanic ritual
Conviction: Aggravated murder
Sentence: 20 years to life
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Marion Correctional Institution
Sara
Shafer is incarcerated at the Marion Correctional Institution
Summary
Shafer was an extremely disturbed young man who had an interest in Satanism, sacrificed animals, and desired to become a serial killer. He became acquainted with Sara’s father and agreed to babysit Sara and her three-year-old brother Seth. That fateful night, he killed little Sara after his plans to murder people at a friend’s house didn’t work. Shafer molested Sara, stabbed her, and shot her three timed in the head. He also cut open her torso, removed her insides, and cut satanic symbols into parts of her body. Shafer also planned to murder Sara’s father and brother as well, but was prevented from carrying out those additional murders when Sara’s father entered through the wrong door. From in prison, he has continued to threaten to kill Sara’s family, who fear his potential release.
Details
Billy Shafer
Daniel Kovarbasich
Victim: Duane Hurley
Age at time of killing: 16
Crime location: North Ridgeville
Crime date: January 22, 2010
Killing method: Stabbing
Motivation: Alleges Hurley sexually abused him
Convictions: Voluntary manslaughter & aggravated assault
Details
Daniel Kovarbasich
Devonere Simmonds
Murder victims: Imran Ashgar, 34, & Quinten Prater, 22
Attempted murder victims: James Norvet, 21, & William Rudd, 39
Age at time of crimes: 17
Crime locations: Central Ohio
Crime date: July 2013
Crimes: Aggravated murder, spree-killing, attempted murder, aggravated robbery, & carjacking
Partners in crime: Nathaniel Brunner, Daniel Durham
Weapon: .22 cailber handgun & a shotgun
Murder method: Gunshots to the head
Murder motivation: Robbery
Convictions: Aggravated robbery, aggravated murder, attempted murder, weapon under disability, & murder
Sentence: Life without parole (LWOP) plus 48 years later reduced to 30 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Ohio State Penitentiary
Summary
Simmonds, 17, went on a massive violent crime spree involving robbery, carjacking, and murder in the summer of 2013. During the spree, he shot and killed Quinten Prater during a robbery. A couple days later, he shot and killed store clerk Imran Ashgar during another robbery. In Imran’s case, Simmonds shot the victim in the eye, left, and then returned to shoot the wounded man in the head. He also shot and injured James Norvet and William Rudd. The spree killer was sentenced to LWOP plus 48 years. His sentence was reduced to 30 years to life after Governor DeWine signed SB 256 into law.
Details
Eric Long
Victims: Keith Cobb and Scott Neblett, 25
Accomplices: Fonta Whipple, 26, & Jashawn Clark, 25,
Age at time of murders: 17
Crime date: March 18, 2009
Crime location: Sharonville, Ohio
Crimes: Double murder
Weapon: Firearm
Murder method: Gunshots
Convictions: Felonious assault, discharging a firearm near habitation/school, aggravated murder, weapon under disability, carrying a concealed weapon, & assault
Sentence: Life without parole (LWOP) plus 19 years later reduced to 30 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Lebanon Correctional Institution
Summary of the crime
Whipple, Clark and Long got into an argument with Keith Cobb and Scott Neblett at Garage Bar & Grill in Sharonville, OH. They followed the victims and, as they were driving on I-75, emptied their guns into Cobb and Neblett’s car, causing it to veer off the highway and roll over. The victims died of gunshot wounds.
Details
Gavon Ramsay
Victim: Margaret Douglas, 98
Age at time of murder: 17
Crime date: April 9, 2018
Crime location: Wadsworth, Ohio
Murder method: Strangulation
Murder motivation: Thrill & enjoyment
Convictions: Aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, & abuse of a corpse
Sentence: Life without parole (LWOP) later reduced to 25 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Grafton Correctional Institution
Summary
On April 6, 2018, Ramsay, 17, broke into Margaret’s Wadsworth, Ohio, home. He found the 98-year-old sleeping on the couch and took a video of her. Ramsay, who had been fantasizing about murdering people for months, and who wanted to kill someone to see how it would feel, strangled Margaret to death. Ramsay, who has been diagnosed with sexual sadism disorder, then undressed her dead body and abused her for over two hours, taking photographs and videos along the way. Several of the photographs and videos Ramsay took were of a sexual nature. Ramsay then stuffed her body in a closet and left her there.
Ramsay was sentenced to life without parole. He appealed and his sentence was upheld. However, Ramsay’s LWOP sentence was reduced to 25 years to life by Senate Bill 256. Ramsay is a highly disturbed young man whose notebook contained writings about raping people, fantasies about strangling and killing people, and serial killer biographies. He is a diagnosed sexual sadist.
Details
Jacob LaRosa
Victim: Marie Belcastro, 94
Age at time of murder: 15
Crime location: Niles, Ohio
Crime date: March 31, 2015
Crimes: Aggravated murder, attempted rape, aggravated robbery, home invasion, & aggravated burglary
Weapon: Heavy metal flashlight
Murder method: Beating to death
Convictions: Aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, & attempted rape
Sentence: Life without parole (LWOP) later reduced to 25 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Marion Correctional Institution
Summary
LaRosa invaded 94-year-old Marie’s home, attempted to rape her, and beat her to death with a heavy metal flashlight. The beating Marie endured was so severe that her eyes ruptured and the top of her skull was crushed. LaRosa was a highly disturbed teen, and showed no remorse for the evil crime, even bragging to other inmates about it. He was sentenced to LWOP and his sentence was upheld. However, the Ohio Legislature chose to retroactively reduce LaRosa’s sentence, making him eligible for parole after 25 years.
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Jaden Churchheus and Jordan Buckley
Victim: Victoria Schafer, 44
Ages at time of killing: 16
Crime location: Hocking Hills State Park
Crime date: September 2, 2019
Weapon: 74 pound six foot long log
Killing method: Pushing the log on her
Motivation: Unintentional
Convictions: Guilty pleas to involuntary manslaughter
Sentences: Three years in juvenile detention
Victoria was killed after Buckley and Churcheus pushed a 74 pound six foot long log off a cliff. Victoria, owner of Victoria Schafer Photography, was sitting on the stairs at Old Man’s Cave when the log struck her on the head, broke her spine, crushed her chest, and almost immediately took her life. The mother of four was at the park to take high school portraits. A 19-year-old woman who was with Buckley and Churcheus at the time told investigators that Churchheus had pushed the log and that he and Buckley appeared not to care after learning that the log had killed a woman. Churcheus and Buckley were initially charged with murder, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless homicide as adults. They later pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and were sentenced to three years in juvenile detention. In October 2020, the woman who was with the offenders at the time of the killing was charged with obstruction of justice.
She Was Killed by a Falling Log. Now, a Guilty Plea
Teens charged with murder in woman’s death at Hocking Hills State Park plead not guilty
Third person charged in death of Chillicothe photographer killed at Hocking Hills
Teen says friends rolled log off cliff to be ‘funny,’ now she’s charged in woman’s death
Teens sentenced to 3 years behind bars for Hocking Hills photographer death
Jordan Stewart
Victim: Jane Juergens, 55
Age at time of murder: 16
Crime location: Westerville, Ohio
Crime date: October 20, 2013
Weapon: Knife
Murder method: 26 stab wounds
Convictions: Guilty plea to murder & tampering with evidence
Sentence: 18 years to life
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Madison Correctional Institution & has a parole hearing on September 2031
Summary of the crime
Stewart attacked Jane as she jogged on a trail and stabbed her to death. Jane, the CEO of PeopleGen of Westerville, was stabbed over two dozen times.
Details
Jordyn Wade
Victims: Tyajah Nelson, 18; Daniel Sharp, 26; Angela Harrison, 35; and Michael Ballour, 41. T.N., 16, survived.
Crime location: Columbus, Ohio
Crime date: June 13, 2015
Age at time of murder: 16 & 11 months
Partner in crime: Robert Adams Jr., 28
Crimes: Quadruple murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, home invasion, & aggravated burglary
Weapon: Firearm
Murder method: Gunshots, mostly to the victims’ heads
Murder motivation: Robbery
Convictions: Aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, aggravated murder, attempted murder, & weapon under disability
Sentence: 172 1/2 years to life later reduced to 25 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Ross Correctional Institution and had a parole hearing scheduled for March 2144
Summary of the crime
Wade participated in a quadruple murder along with one attempted murder during a home invasion robbery. Wade’s 28-year-old partner Robert Adams shot four victims to death and shot and wounded another victim. The survivor, a 16-year-old girl, was able to testify at trial. Wade was convicted and sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility in 172 1/2 years. Though Wade was not the principal offender or the “trigger man” he had an active role in the massacre–Adams asked Wade, “should I off them all?” and Wade answered, “yes.” The butchering then began.
Details
Joshua Wade
Victim: Titus Jamal Arnold, 23, plus several survivors
Age at time of murder: 16
Crime date: April 13, 2005
Crime location: Springfield
Partner in crime: Jason Dean, 30
Weapon: .40 caliber handgun
Murder method: Shot to the head
Convictions: Complicity in murder, aggravated robbery, discharge of a firearm at a habitation/school, attempted murder, & aggravated murder
Sentence: 56 years to life later reduced to 25 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Pickaway Correctional Institution & has a parole hearing in March 2061
Summary
Wade and Dean went on a terrifying crime spree in the spring of 2005, which involved the robbery and murder of Urbana University senior and youth counselor Titus Arnold, along with several other acts of violence. Wade is in prison for life while Dean was sentenced to death and died due to natural causes in 2019. Due to SB 256, Wade will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
Timeline of the Crime Spree
April 10. Dean attempted to rob two people in a mini mart parking lot. He shot one victim.
April 12. Dean and Wade fired shots at a home. A one-year-old girl and a pregnant woman were just centimetres away from being shot.
April 13. Titus left his job at a home for troubled youth just before midnight. Witnesses saw two men get out of a car, and chase Titus. They saw a man, who they recognized as Wade, shoot at Titus. He was robbed of $6.
Details
Kylen Gregory
Victim: Ronald Bowers III
Age at time of killing: 16
Accomplices: Malik Harris, 15, Jerry Tanner, 16, Miles Heizer, 18,
Crime date: September 4, 2016
Crime location: Kettering
Weapon: Handgun
Killing method: Shot to the head
Killing motivation: An alleged altercation at Alter-fest
Convictions: Gregory- reckless homicide & discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premises plus guilty pela to felonious assault; Heizer-guilty plea to tampering with evidence, aggravated menacing, assault, & contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a minor; Harris & Tanner-guilty pleas to assault, menacing, and tampering with evidence
Sentences: Gregory-11 years in prison; Heizer-two years in prison; Harris & Tanner-juvenile detention with a minimum sentence of six months and a maximum sentence of incarceration until 21
Incarceration status: Gregory– Incarcerated at the Southeastern Correctional Institution; Heizer-Incarcerated at the Madison Correctional Institution
Summary of the crime
The offenders hunted down Ronnie and his friends as they left Alter-fest. As Ronnie was driving away from the attackers, Gregory shot at his car. The bullet went through the windshield and hit Ronnie in the head. He died of his injuries several days later.
Details
https://dayton247now.com/news/local/kylen-gregory-sentenced-to-11-years-in-prison
https://dayton247now.com/news/local/court-documents-16-year-old-is-kettering-shooting-suspect
https://www.mcohio.org/departments/prosecutor/Gregory_Kylen_Charged.pdf
Kyle Patrick
Victim: Michael Abighanem, 27
Age at time of murder: 17
Crime date: April 27, 2012
Crime location: Youngstown
Partner in crime: Reginald Whitfield, 21
Crimes: Aggravated murder, armed robbery, & tampering with evidence
Murder method: Gunshot
Weapon: Firearm
Murder motivation: Robbery
Sentence: 34 years to life later reduced to 25 years to life by Senate Bill 256
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Mansfield Correctional Institution
Summary of the crime
Patrick and Whitfield murdered Michael during an orchestrated robbery.
Details
T.J. Lane, Chardon High School Mass Shooter
Name: Thomas “T. J.” Lane III
Murder victims: Demetrius Hewlin, 16; Russell King, Jr, 17; and Daniel Parmertor, 16
Other victims: Joy Rickers, 18; Nate Mueller, 16; and Nick Walczak, 17 (paralyzed)
Age at time of murder: 17
Crime date: February 27, 2012
Crime location: Chardon, Ohio
Crimes: Mass shooting, triple murder, attempted murder, & felonious assault
Weapon: .22-caliber semiautomatic Ruger handgun
Murder method: Gunshots to the victims’ heads
Convictions: Guilty pleas to aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, felonious assault, & assault
Sentence: Life without parole (LWOP)
Incarceration status: Incarcerated at the Warren Correctional Institution
Summary
Lane committed an infamous mass shooting at Chardon High School. He shot six students, killing three. He plead guilty and was sentenced to LWOP. Lane has shown no remorse, wearing a shirt reading “KILLER” to his sentencing hearing. The victims were all teenage high school students.
