Defense Argues Alleged Craigslist Mastermind Mistakenly Targeted by Police

The prosecution says Richard Beasley is a "wolf in sheep's clothing," reports the Akron Beacon Journal.

Wolf in sheep's clothing or wrongly accused man? In her opening remarks Monday, Assistant Ohio Attorney General Emily Pelphrey used the biblical reference to portray Richard Beasley -- the suspected mastermind of the Craigslist slayings -- as a killer who preyed on unsuspecting men in need of work. The prosecution alleges Beasley, a self-proclaimed Akron minister, posted a fake job ad on Craigslist luring men to a southeast Ohio farm; and when they arrived, his accomplice, Brogan Rafferty, would kill them. Pelphrey said Beasley assumed various identities, including that of Ralph Geiger, "a homeless man whose body was found on the farmland in Noble County where the killings allegedly took place," reports the Akron Beacon Journal. However, …

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Craigslist Killer May Testify Against Alleged Perpetrator Richard Beasley

Jury selection in the trial against Richard Beasley -- the alleged mastermind of the Craigslist killings -- is underway, and prosecutors want Brogan Rafferty to testify against him.

Jury selection was underway this week in the trial of Richard Beasley: the alleged architect of a Craigslist plot that led to three slayings. The Stow Sentry reports the trial will likely start next week, and that Brogan Rafferty, who was sentenced to life in prison for his part in the killings, may testify against Beasley. A 12-person jury found Rafferty, a former Stow-Munroe Falls High School student, guilty on nine counts of aggravated murder and other charges in November for his part in the Craigslist killings. For more on the story, visit www.stowsentry.com.

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Fugitive Suspected of Murdering Man on New Year's Day

Marcellus Smith is the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force’s fugitive of the week.

The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is offering a reward for information that would lead to the capture of fugitive Marcellus Smith. Smith is wanted by the U.S. Marshals and the Cleveland Division of Police. Smith, along with his brother, is suspected of shooting and killing a man with a shotgun around 2 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Smith is considered to be armed and extremely dangerous. Smith is a 22-year-old black man standing approximately at 6-foot 1-inch and weighing 175 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. Smith is believed to be hiding somewhere in Cleveland. He also has a previous address near the 3100 block of E. 99th Street in Cleveland. If anyone has any information in reference to Marcellus Smith, please contact the …

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See How Falls Compares with Stow in Safety

Cleveland Magazine released its annual "Rating the Suburbs" issue recently. See how Falls compares to Stow in the crime category.

Cuyahoga Falls received a slightly better rating than Stow by Cleveland Magazine as far as crime goes — but neither ranked highly for safety out of 77 cities considered in the report. The magazine recently released its "Rating the Suburbs" issue. Here's a run down of Stow's numbers: (Stow was ranked 65 out of 77 in safety, according to the magazine.) *Links attached to the above are examples of each category listed.  Stow's population last year was about 34,800. Cleveland Magazine reports there are about 5.60 violent crimes per 1,000 people and 19.4 non-violent crimes per every 1,000 people.  There were 38 full-time, no part-time and 24 auxiliary officers with the Stow Police Department when this information was considered. Read more about…

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Rafferty's Juvenile Court Date for 'Craigslist Killings' Charges Changed

The new trial dates are April 18 and 19 in Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio's court room in Akron.

Brogan Rafferty, the teen accused of murder in the crimes dubbed the 'Craigslist killings,' was arraigned in adult court on charges, but still has a probable cause hearing in Summit County Juvenile Court this month.  Rafferty's case was transferred from Noble County (where police said the crimes took place) to Summit County because the case against his accused accomplice Richard Beasley is being handled in Summit, Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh's office said. Rafferty, who was 16 when he was arrested in November, faces three counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted murder, four counts of aggravated robbery and four counts of kidnapping in Summit County. He has pleaded not guilty. The death penalty is not possible because of …

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Teen To Be Charged as Adult in Craigslist Murder Case

Brogan Rafferty, 16, will face charges of attempted murder and one count of aggravated murder and complicity to aggravated murder.

Stow-Munroe Falls High School student Brogan Rafferty, 16, will face murder charges as an adult. Noble County Juvenile Court Judge John Nau order Rafferty's case to be transferred to adult court. The change means that Rafferty could face stiffer penalties if convicted. The teen is being held on $1 million bond. Rafferty is charged with attempted murder, one count of aggravated murder and complicity to aggravated murder as an adult. The charges stem from the discovery in late November of two bodies in shallow graves in Noble County. The two had been shot to death. Investigators say the two responded to a job ad posted by the teen and Akron resident Richard Beasley on craigslist. A third person who responded to the ad escaped after being …

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'No Way God Would Do that to Me,” Craigstlist Murder Suspect Writes

The Stow-Munroe Falls High School teen has been charged with aggravated murder and complicity to aggravated murder in a Craigslist-scheme murder investigation.

Court to Determine if Teen Involved in Craigslist Murder Investigation will be Charged as an Adult Today

If the teen is charged as an adult, he wil be transfered out of a juvenile facility in southern Ohio.

A 16-year-old former Stow-Munroe Falls High School student being held for the police's suspected involvement in a Craigslist murder could face two felony charges as an adult. On Nov. 18, the juvenile was charged with attempted murder and complicity to attempted murder. Today, he will have a hearing in southern Ohio to determine whether he should be charged as an adult.  If he is, the teen will be transfered to a juvenile detention facility to an adult facility. Editor's note: Patch generally does not name juveniles accused of crimes.

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Facebook Page, Website Supports Teen Charged with Murder

The 16-year-old Stow-Munroe Falls High School student still sits behind bars, but his friends and family are rallying for online support and believe the teen is innocent in a Craigslist ad murder investigation.

While a 16-year-old sits behind bars in a Summit County Juvenile detention center for a felony charge of murder in a bogus Craigslist ad investigation, his friends are looking for support online. The former Stow-Munroe Falls High School student was charged with attempted murder and complicity to attempted murder by authorities investigating a murder and shooting in Caldwell, OH. One website was developed by the charged teen's friend. "He helped me through a lot and he doesn't know. For that I owe him a lot. He is a great kid. He such a sweetheart. Yeah he teased me and joked with me to piss me off at times but I could never truly hate him," the charged teen's friend said. "I made this site for the sole reason that I think [he] is innocent…

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Amanda Harnocz

12:31 pm on Monday, November 28, 2011

A comment was deleted for naming the 16-year-old. Patch will not name the juvenile unless he is charged as an adult.   more ›

Relationship of Akron Man and Student Charged with Attempted Murder: Mother Speaks Out

The student's mother told 19 Action News that her son looked "like a scared kid" when she visited him in jail. The 16-year-old is charged with attempted murder in the Craigslist ad investigation in Noble County, Ohio.