In January of this year, an 81-year-old woman was found dead in the basement of her Ohio home. Authorities say that the woman had been stabbed repeatedly. Recently, the deceased woman’s grandson was charged with multiple felonies in connection with her death.
Within hours after the body of the teen’s grandmother was found, he was picked up by police for a violation of his probation. At that time, he was formally accused with respect to the death of his grandmother. Now, several months after investigators began trying to piece together what happened, the 18-year-old is being charged.
The charges include murder (three counts), felonious assault (two counts) and abuse of a corpse. Additional charges are for possessing criminal tools, misusing a credit card and tampering with evidence. No details regarding the investigation and how police believe the teenager is connected to the crime was released.
The penalties associated with the crimes with which he is charged are serious, and he could end up spending a significant portion of his life in prison if convicted. Fortunately, our system of justice guarantees him the presumption of innocence until and unless Ohio prosecutors prove to the court beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty. He is also afforded the right to present a vigorous defense to the accusations against him.
A review of the evidence that prosecutors intend to present in court by his criminal defense team will be necessary. It will also be important to ensure that his rights were protected throughout the investigation and will continue to be through every stage of the coming legal proceedings. Further, such a review could assist in preparing a defense to the felonies he is accused of committing.
Source: newsnet5.com, “Russell Township teen charged with grandmother’s stabbing, murder“, Nikki Ferrell, May 2, 2014