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Sentence could shorten for Wadsworth teen convicted of murder
Jan 25, 2021 6:00 AM
WADSWORTH — A life sentence without parole handed down to a Wadsworth teen convicted of murder could be shortened under a state law change soon to be in effect.
Ohio Senate Bill 256 will grant parole eligibility to individuals convicted of violent crimes, including murder and rape, after serving 25 to 30 years in prison if they committed those crimes before turning 18.
Those convicted of aggravated murder as juveniles, such as Gavon Ramsay, of Wadsworth, will be evaluated for parole eligibility after serving 30 years. A new section of Ohio Revised Code states that parole board members must consider factors in the crime related to offenders’ age at the time, which for Ramsay was 17. It goes on to say “hallmark features, including intellectual capacity, immaturity, impetuosity, and a failure to appreciate risks and consequences” also will be part of future decision making.
Changes are slated to go into effect April 12.
Ramsay was found guilty in November 2018 for the murder of a 98-year-old Wadsworth resident, which took place April of that year and included sexual assault and strangulation.
Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson said throughout his office’s examination of SB 256, they did not consider changes to be retroactive and don’t think they should apply to Ramsay.
“At least in our analysis, this is not retroactive,” he said. “While I’m assuming that the Supreme Court will have (Ramsay’s case) revisited, it is not going to be automatic as a result of Senate Bill 256. I will say, from our office’s perspective and the perspective of the victims, I disagree with the law.”
“I think that this undermines the seriousness of the act,” Thompson added. “It’s been a long-standing requirement that youth be considered when juveniles are tried as adults. That’s already been a major requirement for evaluation. It’s not like it’s been ignored or overlooked. It certainly wasn’t in this case.”
The bill’s text states that “if an offender receives or received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole, a sentence of life imprisonment, a definite sentence, or a sentence to an indefinite prison term under this chapter for an aggravated murder or murder that was committed when the offender was under eighteen years of age, the offender’s parole eligibility shall be determined under section 2967.132 of the Revised Code.”
On Dec. 31, the Ohio Supreme Court announced it had dismissed an appeal attempt on Ramsay’s behalf, which came after the 9th District Court of Appeals decided to uphold his life sentence in April.
Relatives found the body of 98-year-old Margaret Douglas on April 9, 2018, inside the closet of her Wadsworth home while performing a welfare check. It is believed Ramsay killed her in the early morning hours April 6, breaking into the home, strangling her while wearing plastic gloves and sexually assaulting her body while photographing the act.
Later that month, police found photos and videos of the crime on Ramsay’s cellphone while investigating a separate matter.
Ramsay filed an appeal in February 2019 with the 9th District Court of Appeals, roughly one month after the life sentence was handed down by Medina County Common Pleas Court Judge Joyce Kimbler. The appellate court affirmed March 31 the sentence against Ramsay on charges of murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, gross abuse of a corpse and aggravated burglary.
The teen initially pleaded not guilty to those charges but later switched to a no contest plea.
Ramsay’s victim is believed to have been asleep on her couch when he attacked her. Police also found Douglas’ wallet in Ramsay’s bedroom and found one of his gloves inside her home.
During pretrial hearings, experts testified that Ramsay suffers from numerous disorders including gaining sexual arousal from the suffering of others. The defense also argued the teen’s behavior might have been made worse by taking the prescription antidepressant Zoloft.
During the sentencing hearing, Thompson said life without parole was appropriate for Ramsay. He emphasized Ramsay’s apparent lack of remorse following the murder and pointed to evidence showing the teen had been writing about murder.
On Sunday, the prosecutor stood firmly behind Ramsay’s life sentence.
“That sentence, was in my opinion, correct and just,” Thompson said. “I believe that any reduction of his sentence would be taking the matter not serious enough. We will certainly aggressively take all steps necessary to support the sentence as it stands.”
Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at 330-721-4050 or [email protected].
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True crime show to reveal unshared details of Wadsworth’s ‘most horrific’ killing in years
Stephanie Warsmith Akron Beacon Journal
Howard Leasure searched his 98-year-old’s aunt’s Wadsworth home in April 2018, hoping for clues about where she was.
He looked in the closet to see if he could find Margaret Douglas’ favorite shoes. He found one but realized it was attached to her dead body.
“I thought, ‘Oh lord, it’s her,’” Leasure recalled, breaking into tears. “I pretty much lost it…”
Leasure shared this painful memory in an episode of “Unexpected Killer” that will air Friday night on the Oxygen network. The show details the murder of Douglas at the hands of Gavon Ramsay, her 17-year-old neighbor.
Ramsay was convicted of Douglas’ strangulation death in January 2019 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Douglas’ family agreed to participate in the show last summer because they were hoping to call attention to then-pending legislation that removed life without parole as a sentencing option for juveniles convicted of serious crimes. They hoped highlighting the case might dissuade lawmakers, but the legislation passed. The law becomes effective April 12.
“We felt it was important to get the real story out — a lot of details were not known,” said Patricia Leasure, Douglas’ great niece. “We felt sharing the story would potentially show people there are special circumstances in which — just because someone is 17 — it doesn’t mean reformation is possible or parole is appropriate.”
Wadsworth Police Chief David Singleton called Douglas’ murder on April 6, 2018, “the most horrific crime” he has seen in his 28 years with the department.
Police discovered in their investigation that Ramsay sneaked into the home of Douglas — who never locked her door — and took a video of her sleeping on the couch. He strangled her and spent two hours taking more videos and photographs of her corpse, including several of a sexual nature. He then put her body in a small closet, covered her with clothes and a vacuum cleaner and returned to his home five doors down before his parents awoke.
“He just has evil in him to do something like that,” Singleton said. “That’s the only way I can explain it.”
Ramsay pleaded no contest and was found guilty in November 2018 of all the charges against him, which included aggravated murder, murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping and gross abuse of a corpse. He had been bound over to adult court because of the severity of the charges, but didn’t face the death penalty because he was under 18.
During Ramsay’s sentencing, Christine Ramsay, his mother, detailed her son’s mental-health issues and how she had sought help for him through counseling and medication.
Patricia Leasure, however, called Gavon Ramsay a coward who preyed on someone more vulnerable. She said she thinks he used her great-aunt as a warmup for others he wanted to kill, whom he had written about in a notebook.
Medina County Prosecutor S. Forrest Thompson echoed this concern as he urged Judge Joyce Kimbler to sentence Ramsay to life without parole.
Gavon Ramsay apologized and said he couldn’t explain what happened.
“I’d take it back in a heartbeat if I could,” he said. “I feel terrible for what I’ve done and I will never do anything like that again … I constantly live in regret and shame.”
Kimbler sentenced Ramsay to life without parole, calling Ramsay “unfit to re-enter society.”
Whether that sentence will remain, however, is unclear because of the new law that abolished life without parole as a penalty for juveniles, with young people given the chance to be considered for release after spending a specified amount of time in prison. Proponents said the U.S. is the only country in the world that sentences children to life without parole eligibility.
The idea was to give young people who commit serious crimes the opportunity to be released from prison if they are rehabilitated.
The change garnered some interesting allies, including Browns offensive linemen Chris Hubbard and Kendall Lamm, who wrote a letter to Ohio senators supporting the legislation. The players highlighted how five of the 12 people sentenced to life without parole as juveniles are Black, despite Black Ohioans comprising only 14.3% of the population.
Thompson, though, was among those who voiced opposition, pointing to the Ramsay case as a reason judges might want to impose such a harsh sentence.
The National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Murders also spoke out against the legislation because of concern for the impact it would have on families.
“Victims like Margaret’s family will be forced to relive the crimes at parole hearings,” said the group’s Ohio coordinator.
Gavon Ramsay, who turns 20 next week, is incarcerated at Grafton Correctional Institution in Lorain County. He has so far lost his appeals.
Laura Austen, deputy director of policy and outreach for the Ohio Public Defender’s office that is representing Ramsay, declined to comment on his case.
Austen, however, did say her office supported the elimination of the life-without-parole penalty for juveniles.
“This aligns Ohio with 30 other states and over a decade of court precedent,” she said.
Thompson said Ramsay’s case may return to the trial court based on the new law.
“Based on legislative decisions, the family now has to relive the facts,” he said. “They were given some small measure of closure knowing he would never get out of prison.”
“Whatever has to be done, we will be prepared to do it,” he added.
Patricia Leasure said her family has been through a roller-coaster ride since her aunt’s death, with the sentencing, Ramsay’s appeals and the debate on the new law. If Ramsay is ever eligible for parole, she said the family will oppose his release.
“We believe he is incapable of reform and, if he was back on the street, would be a danger to society and people in his community,” she said.
After her aunt’s death, Leasure, who lives in Michigan near Ann Arbor, said she had an alarm installed in her home and got a concealed carry permit and a gun — all steps she hadn’t fathomed previously. She said her parents, Howard and Cindy Leasure, share this unease.
“Our sense of safety was forever changed,” she said.
Case of Wadsworth teen convicted of murder recounted on national TV
Jonathan Delozier
The Gazette
Mar 22, 2021 7:00 AM
WADSWORTH — The 2018 murder of an elderly Wadsworth resident by her teenage neighbor was detailed Friday in an episode of Oxygen TV network’s “An Unexpected Killer.”
Gavon Ramsay, then 17, murdered 98-year-old Margaret Douglas in the early morning hours of April 6, 2018, sneaking into his neighbor’s home while she slept before strangling her while wearing plastic gloves, sexually assaulting her lifeless body and photographing the heinous acts.
Relatives found Douglas’ body buried under household items in a closet three days later while performing a welfare check. Police found photos and videos of the crime on Ramsay’s cellphone later that month while investigating a separate matter.
Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson appears in the new hourlong episode, which is scheduled to re-air Thursday on Oxygen at 1 a.m. and Friday at 10 a.m.
“I agreed to do this because (Douglas’) family said they wanted to be a part of it,” he said. “I think (Oxygen) did a good job with how the facts were presented and the way the actual show turned out. Accuracy was my primary concern from the outset.”
“The general public had a lot of misunderstandings about how (Ramsay) was identified,” Thompson added. “A lot of those questions were never answer because he plead in instead of going to trial.”
Ramsay, who turns 20 next week, was sentenced by Medina County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joyce Kimbler to life in prison in January 2019 on charges of murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, gross abuse of a corpse and aggravated burglary. He filed an appeal one month later with the 9th District Court of Appeals, which eventually upheld Kimbler’s decision.
A case appeal on behalf of Ramsay was dismissed by the Ohio Supreme Court on Dec. 31, roughly two weeks after it was filed.
The teen initially pleaded not guilty to charges but later switched to a no contest plea.
“The graphic nature of this case made me a bit worried about how it would be presented on television,” Thompson said. “But I have to say that it’s all been handled with respect and handled very well. I would not have been involved without family member’s permission. I made that clear to the producers from the time they contacted me. The family was on board.”
A frantic effort to locate Douglas is recounted in the new episode, which came to a sudden end when nephew Howard Leasure found her body in the closet.
“I touched (Douglas’ shoe),” Leasure told Oxygen. “It felt cold and clammy. I thought, ‘Oh, my Lord. It’s her.’ I pretty much lost it. It’s something I’ll never forget, to find her like that.”
Other case facts delved into include details of Ramsay’s identification, which started with police investigating what were thought to be unrelated petty crimes in the nearby area. Those included a break-in at a construction site where a cellphone had been left behind.That device was traced back to a friend of Ramsay’s who linked him to all of the recent incidents.
Ramsay reportedly was brought in for questioning where he admitted to the petty crimes and also to a recent carjacking.
Investigators brought up Douglas’ murder during those sessions but Ramsay reportedly denied any involvement. An ensuing search of the teenager’s cellphone garnered horrifying findings — photos and recordings of Douglas taken in her home without her consent.
Ramsay then confessed to the killing, saying he’d strangled Douglas when she woke up but before she realized what he was doing.
Police also found Douglas’ wallet in Ramsay’s bedroom and found one of his gloves inside her home.
Experts testified that Ramsay suffers from numerous disorders including gaining sexual arousal from the suffering of others. The defense and family members also argued the teen’s behavior might have been made worse by taking the prescription antidepressant Zoloft.
During the sentencing hearing, Thompson said life without parole was appropriate for Ramsay. He emphasized Ramsay’s apparent lack of remorse following the murder and pointed to evidence showing the teen had been writing about murder.
State law change could shorten Ramsay’s sentence
Thompson reiterated concerns Sunday regarding a soon-to-be in effect state law change that could drastically reduce Ramsay’s life sentence.
Ohio Senate Bill 256 will grant parole eligibility to individuals convicted of violent crimes, including murder and rape, after serving 25 to 30 years in prison if they committed those crimes before turning 18.
“I’ve spoke to the state Legislature numerous times in opposition to this,” Thompson said. “I don’t agree with it but I have to uphold the law. The people who are pushing this are primarily focusing on the level of brain development of teenagers. They said a person who’s acting this way at 17 isn’t doing that with a fully developed brain.”
Those convicted of aggravated murder as juveniles, such as Ramsay, will be evaluated for parole eligibility after serving 25 years if their offense involved the killing of one person. If two people were killed, parole eligibility will be looked at after 30 years.
SB 256 also create a new crime classification, aggravated homicide offenses, which involves the killing of three or more people and will still be eligible for a juvenile sentence of life without parole.
A new section of Ohio Revised Code states that parole board members must consider factors in the crime related to offenders’ age at the time, which for Ramsay was 17. It goes on to say “hallmark features, including intellectual capacity, immaturity, impetuosity and a failure to appreciate risks and consequences” also will be part of future decision making.
Changes are slated to go into effect April 12.
Ramsay’s appeal effort could make its way back to Medina County under these new provisions some time this year, Thompson said.
“The appeal court could also impart the sentencing changes under 256 but they can also remand it back to the trial court,” Thompson said. “I would anticipate that being this year. The Supreme Court kicked it back to the 9th Circuit and that’s when 256 was passed. We’re going to be seeing the case again.”
Family worries new law paves a road out of prison for convicted killer of 98-year-old woman
New law gets rid of life without parole for teens
By: Scott Noll
CANTON, Ohio — When Cindy Leasure heard the judge sentence her aunt’s killer to life in prison without parole, there was a sense of finality. But three years after Margaret Douglas was strangled to death inside her Wadsworth home, a new Ohio law could pave a way out of prison for Douglas’s convicted killer.
“When he was sentenced it was like okay, we took a criminal off the road, we took him out of society,” said Leasure. “And now you’re looking at here we go. Now he may be back in society at some time.”
Senate Bill 256 goes into effect Monday. It gets rid of life without parole prison sentences for most criminals who were teens when they committed their crimes in Ohio.
It also makes teen offenders eligible for parole after serving between 18 and 30 years in prison, depending on their crimes.
“While SB 256 abolishes discretionary life without parole for juvenile offenders, those juveniles convicted of homicide must serve 25 years before their first parole hearing,” said State Senator Nathan Manning, the primary sponsor of SB 256, in a statement provided to News 5. “In no way does this new law guarantee release for offenders, only an opportunity for parole if they can show that they are truly rehabilitated. The Supreme Court has declared the sentence of juvenile life without parole unconstitutional, thus SB 256 brings Ohio into line with federal law.”
Gavon Ramsay was 17 years old when investigators said he walked into Douglas’s home, strangled her, and abused her body.
Ramsay pleaded no contest to aggravated murder and other charges, and was sentenced in January 2019.
Leasure and her husband, who found his aunt’s body stuffed into a living room closet, were in the courtroom for the sentencing.
“It was just a relief to know that this person could not harm anybody else ever again,” said Leasure.
Now she’s angry the new law could pave a path for Ramsay to someday walk free.
“This is not some poor little juvenile that did something and got punished for life,” said Leasure. “You deserve that. You lost rights when you walked into her house uninvited.”
Former State Senator Peggy Lehner, who co-sponsored the bill, said it’s about giving hope to young people locked up for life.
“I think it gives a purpose to rehabilitation,” said Lehner, a Republican from Montgomery County. “If you’re never going to walk out of the door of a prison, if you’re never going to have a chance to go back to society, or get a job, raise a family, any of those things, there’s not a whole lot of point in doing rehabilitation.”
Under the law, Ramsay would be eligible for parole when he’s 42 years old.
Leasure and her family said they plan to fight for changes that ensure he never walks free again.
“We owe it to Margaret,” said Leasure, “because no one should have to be murdered and go through the horror and torment she went through that night.”
Lehner stressed the new law does not guarantee criminals will be released. She said it only provides them with the opportunity to go before the parole board and make their case for release.
“Over the past two General Assemblies serious efforts have been made toward sentencing reform,” Manning said. “Although, mainly focused on those suffering from addiction, we have also focused on minors involved in serious felonies and how their chance for rehabilitation is more plausible based on their age. This in no way excuses violent offenses, it simply provides a path toward parole for minor offenders after serving a minimum of 25 years.”
Family of slain woman fights to keep killer behind bars for life
Jonathan Delozier
The GazetteApr 13, 2021 6:00 AM
WADSWORTH — A new state bill that took effect Monday could lead to a reduced prison term for Gavon Ramsay, who while a juvenile murdered an elderly Wadsworth neighbor before abusing her dead body.
Ohio Senate Bill 256 grants parole eligibility to individuals convicted of violent crimes, including murder and rape, after serving 18 to 30 years in prison if they committed those crimes before turning 18.
Ramsay was found guilty in November 2018 for the murder of 98-year-old Margaret Douglas, which took place in April of that year and included sexual assault and strangulation, according to investigators and court testimony.
Douglas’ great-niece, Patricia Sacco of Michigan, said Monday that her family plans to take part in formal opposition to SB 256.
“There’s been this real feeling of fear and nervousness since we heard about this bill and especially since it was approved,” she said. “After the bill passed and I looked into it more my other strong feeling is anger in how this bill could allow someone like Gavon Ramsay to slip through the cracks.”
“It puts all of these juvenile criminals into one box whether they were being reckless and shooting a gun that happens to kill someone or if they’re committing these devious, plotting crimes like (Ramsay) did,” Sacco added. “There’s a lot of anger at this point because of this.”
A new section of Ohio Revised Code states that parole board members must consider factors in the crime related to offenders’ age at the time, which for Ramsay was 17. Those convicted of aggravated murder as juveniles, such as Ramsay, will be evaluated for parole eligibility after serving 25 years if their offense involved the killing of one person. If two people were killed, parole eligibility will be looked at after 30 years.
SB 256 also creates a new crime classification, aggravated homicide offenses, which involves the killing of three or more people and will remain eligible for a juvenile sentence of life without parole. The new bill goes on to say “hallmark features, including intellectual capacity, immaturity, impetuosity, and a failure to appreciate risks and consequences” will be part of future decision making.
“At this point, our main conversation about this is trying to come up with an action plan,” Sacco said. “As a family, we’re talking about what we can do to bring attention to this and stop (Ramsay) from being released. We feel the lack of awareness of the crimes he committed that night, on the part of people in Columbus, is part of the reason this bill got passed the way it did.”
Twenty-three states as well as Washington, D.C. have banned life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles since a 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling abolishing mandatory life sentences for that age group.
State Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville, is the primary sponsor of SB 256, which in December passed both Ohio General Assembly chambers by overwhelming bipartisan margins.
“I certainly understand where victims families are coming from,” Manning said Monday. “Promoting justice reform isn’t an easy thing and there’s a lot of difficult decisions we have to make as policy makers. Quite frankly, there are a lot of people who are supportive of these changes in Ohio and all over the country. I know that doesn’t make a victim’s family feel better.
“If someone has not shown that they’re remorseful and rehabilitated they won’t be released,” he added. “This bill was looking at many of those cases where people have changed and turned their lives around, became good model prisoners and done everything right. They made a mistake when they were juveniles and were sentenced as adults.”
Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association Executive Director Louis Tobin led that organization in fierce opposition to passage of SB 256. He and colleagues would like to see two key changes to its language: restoration of discretionary life sentences without parole and parole eligibility after no more than 30 years or 80 percent of the sentence for homicide offenders not handed discretionary life sentences.
“SB 256 makes non-homicide offenders eligible (for parole) after 18 years regardless of the number of non-homicide offenses committed,” Tobin said. “That can mean one, two or even five rape offenses just to give an example. But it can mean any violent crime. The number doesn’t matter.”
He said that messaging regarding U.S. Supreme Court opinion on juvenile life sentences without parole often needs more nuance.
“There were arguments made last year that SB 256 was required by Supreme Court and Ohio Supreme Court precedent and that’s just not true,” Tobin said. “The U.S. Supreme Court has said you can’t impose mandatory life without parole sentences on juveniles. It didn’t say you can’t ever impose life without parole, just that the judge has to consider factors of youth before they do it. Gavon Ramsay was a discretionary life sentence, which does not go against the Supreme Court.”
Relatives found the body of 98-year-old Margaret Douglas on April 9, 2018, inside the closet of her Wadsworth home while performing a welfare check. It is believed Ramsay killed her in the early morning hours of April 6, breaking into the home, strangling her while wearing plastic gloves, and sexually assaulting her body while photographing the act.
Later that month, police found photos and videos of the crime on Ramsay’s cellphone while investigating a series of local petty crimes.
Ramsay, who just turned 20, filed an appeal in February 2019 with the 9th District Court of Appeals roughly one month after his discretionary life sentence was handed down by Medina County Common Pleas Court Judge Joyce Kimbler. The appellate court affirmed on March 31 the sentence against Ramsay on charges of murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, gross abuse of a corpse and aggravated burglary.
The teen initially pleaded not guilty to charges but later switched to a no-contest plea.
The Ohio Supreme Court announced Dec. 31 it had dismissed an appeal attempt on Ramsay’s behalf, which came after the 9th District Court of Appeals decided to uphold his life sentence last April.
It’s believed Douglas was asleep on her couch when Ramsay attacked. Video footage from Ramsay’s phone suggested that he entered the home without Douglas’ knowledge and secretly watched her before taking her life. Police also found Douglas’ wallet in Ramsay’s bedroom and found one of his gloves inside her home.
Experts testified that Ramsay suffers from numerous disorders including gaining sexual arousal from the suffering of others, adding that the prescription antidepressant Zoloft may have contributed to the teen’s behavior.
During the sentencing hearing, Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson said life without parole was appropriate for Ramsay, emphasizing a perceived lack of remorse and premeditation for murder.
Thompson said in March that he expects new state law changes to bring Ramsay’s case back to Medina County as soon as this year.
Local prosecutor uses Jacob LaRosa as example of folly with new Ohio law
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins says the law nullifies the hard work and judgment of judges throughout the state
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) – Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins is not happy about a new law in Ohio that eliminates a sentence of life without parole for the vast majority of juvenile offenders.
Senate Bill 256 went into effect on April 12. The bill also creates new wide-ranging parole eligibility, Watkins said, that applies regardless of when a juvenile committed their offenses and regardless of when they were sentenced.
Watkins said the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office fought against the changes, citing the life without parole sentence for Jacob LaRosa.
LaRosa was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murder of 94-year-old Marie Belcastro in Niles.
Watkins said that LaRosa’s sentencing came after hundreds of hours of hard work by the Niles Police Department, the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Judge Sandra Harwood, Judge Wyatt W. McKay and Assistant Prosecutors Gabe Wildman and Chris Becker.
“Additionally, Jacob LaRosa’s sentence was upheld by the Eleventh District Court of Appeals,” Watkins said.
Watkins said that while the life without parole sentence was “perfectly legal” under the Ohio and United States Supreme courts, the Ohio legislature has now eliminated the possibility for many juvenile offenders, “even some of the worst offenders.”
“The impact of this unnecessary change is that juvenile murderers such as Jacob LaRosa will now be eligible for parole and possibly released back into the community in their 30s and 40s,” Watkins said.
Watkins says the law nullifies the hard work and judgment of judges throughout the state who have determined that life without parole sentences were necessary to protect the public from these offenders.
“This office will continue to vigorously oppose Jacob LaRosa’s release and take all necessary steps, including any potential appeals if warranted, to ensure Jacob LaRosa serves the maximum sentence permissible,” Watkins said.
Prosecutor uses LaRosa murder case as example for juvenile sentencing changes
The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office says juvenile murderers such as Jacob LaRosa will now be eligible for parole in their 30’s and 40’s.
The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office released a statement against Sub. S.B. 256, which eliminates life-without-parole sentencing for juvenile offenders.
According to the release, the law went into effect April 10th and created new parole eligibility provisions for those who committed offenses under the age of 18.
The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office says they fought against the changes along with the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association.
They say the change could result in some of the worst offenders being parole eligible and being released back into their communities.
The release includes a local connection to the changes.
The Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office says juvenile murderers such as Jacob LaRosa will now be eligible for parole in their 30’s and 40’s.
LaRosa was convicted for the murder of 94-year-old Marie Belcastro in her Niles home in 2015.
The release says LaRosa, who was 15 at the time, beat Belcastro with a flashlight severely, leaving damage that left her brain visible through holes in her skull.
S.B. 256 would nullify the life-without-parole sentence, making it a possibility that he could be released in the future.
The Prosecutor’s Office says LaRosa does not deserve a lighter sentence as given by the retroactive legislation. Officials say they will continue to fight to keep violent criminals incarcerated for as long as possible as the legislature provides in their laws.
New OH law opens up parole for juvenile murderers
Family members of those who were murdered are calling Senate bill 256 ‘a cruel slap in the face.’ The family of Marie Belcastro is upset with a new Ohio law that took effect Monday that says juveniles who were given sentences of “life in prison,” like Bel
By Matt Stone
Family members of those who were murdered are calling Senate bill 256 ‘a cruel slap in the face.’
The family of Marie Belcastro is upset with a new Ohio law that took effect Monday that says juveniles who were given sentences of “life in prison,” like Belcastro’s assailant Jacob Larosa, can now be given a chance for parole.
21 News spoke with Brian Kirk, the grandson of Belcastro Friday who said this new law has upended the life of his family.
“They are punishing the survivors and the victim’s family, friends and loved ones!” said Kirk.
Marie Rose Belcastro, 94, was brutally murdered in her Niles home on March 31st 2015.
A then 15 year old Jacob Larosa was found guilty of that murder and sentenced to life plus 31 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
As of Monday that has changed. The new law will allow Larosa to be eligible for parole.
Kirk says the family had closure and relief when the sentence was handed down. Now that closure is gone.
“What if Jacob holds a grudge against me or my family? Maybe we are potential targets down the road. I don’t know because it wasn’t something I had to even consider. Now it’s something I’ll be thinking about every single day,” said Kirk.
Kirk hopes the public will see what has been done and demand the new law be changed whether through a lawsuit or through a referendum.
“To put convicted criminal rights above innocent surviving victims and potential future victims is upside down world insane,” added Kirk.
This new law has also affected a trial currently underway in Mahoning County.
Brandon Crump Jr. is accused of the murder of 4 year old Rowan Sweeney.
Prosecutor Paul Gains tells 21 News he’s furious that if Crump is found guilty, he would be eligible for parole instead of staying in prison.
Family of 98-year-old Wadsworth woman killed, abused by 17-year-old fears new law could eventually set him free
By Jim Nelson| April 16, 2021 at 10:54 PM EDT – Updated April 16 at 10:54 PM
WADSWORTH, Ohio (WOIO) – The family of an elderly Wadsworth woman who was brutally killed by a 17-year-old is now facing the agonizing fear that one day the killer could walk free.
In 2018, Gavon Ramsay was sentenced to life in prison without parole for strangling and sexually abusing the corpse of 98-year-old Margaret Douglas.
“We were devastated to find out how she died, what happened to her,” said Douglas’ nephew Howard Leasure. “It’s been pretty rough.”
Those memories are coming back in the wake of a new Ohio law that went into effect earlier this month.
Senate Bill 256 allows for violent convicted felons to be eligible for parole 25 to 30 years into their life sentences if the crimes were committed when they were under the age of 18.
Leasure’s daughter, Patty Sacco, has become passionate about speaking out against the law.
Her primary concern is that a parole board wouldn’t need to consider the horrific details of the crime but rather the charges alone.
“It takes out of account the fact he broke into her home, that he strangled her, punched her in the face, disrobed her, and sexually assaulted her dead body,” she told 19 News. “My passion is getting the appropriate justice for Margaret. Making sure what she went through that night is acknowledged.”
Under the current law, Ramsay wouldn’t be eligible for parole for more than 20 years.
He would be in his early-to-mid 40′s.
“My fear is that he’ll hurt someone again,” said Howard’s wife, Cindy. “He will murder someone and torment someone again.”
“And all the family members will have to go through what we went through,” Howard added.
Juvenile offenders avoid life in prison
Ban affects earlier sentences
Juveniles in Ohio can no longer be sentenced to life in prison without parole, in most cases.
Ohio joined 23 other states with similar bans a week ago, and appears to be part of a national movement to give juvenile offenders a second chance.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 banned the death penalty for offenders who committed their crimes as a juvenile, and in 2010 the court banned life in prison without parole for all juvenile offenders except those who committed homicide.
That decision and one from the Ohio Supreme Court in 2016 reversing the 112-year prison sentence Youngstown teen Brandon Moore received for brutal rapes were cited as reasons some Ohio legislators changed Ohio’s law last week.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains said he doesn’t agree with the change “because these are really the most heinous offenses. But obviously we will comply with the law.”
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said his office “fought against these changes, along with the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and other prosecutors across the state.”
The new law leaves a narrow group of juvenile offenders who could still get life in prison without parole, said Ralph Rivera, assistant Mahoning County prosecutor. They are individuals who kill at least three people, such as T.J. Lane, who killed three people and injured others at Chardon High School in 2012.
But the new law also has changes that affect juvenile offenders who were sentenced previously. It gives them a chance at parole much sooner than they would have had otherwise. It does not, however, guarantee anyone will be released earlier than the the sentence handed down by the judge.
“The only thing guaranteed is that opportunity to obtain release, which is the parole hearing,” Rivera said. “All of the offenders can serve out their entire sentence if the parole board denies them.”
After the first hearing, the parole board must hold additional hearings within five years.
SHOCKING CASES
Among those who will be affected are Moore and his Youngstown co-defendant, Chaz Bunch; and Trumbull County killer Jacob Larosa.
Moore and Bunch kidnapped a woman from the parking area of her job on Detroit Avenue in Youngstown, then took her to the Peyatt Street area, where she was repeatedly raped.
LaRosa beat and killed Marie Belcastro, 94, in her Cherry Street home in Niles and pleaded no contest to aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and attempted rape.
In the Youngstown case, Moore, 15, and Bunch, 16, got prison sentences so long, they would not have left prison in their lifetimes. Larosa, 15, of Niles was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
But the 2016 Ohio Supreme Court case struck down Moore’s sentence. Moore, now 37, and Bunch, now 36, were resentenced a few years ago in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to about 50 years each.
Under the new law, defendants convicted of offenses as a juvenile are now eligible for parole after 18, 25 or 30 years in prison.
Rivera said Ohio’s new law makes Moore and Bunch eligible for a parole hearing after serving 18 years in prison. Both have served slightly more than 18 years, meaning that when the Ohio Parole Board is able to schedule a hearing, they can argue for their freedom.
The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office will have the opportunity to argue against their release, Rivera said, adding: “Nothing prevents the juvenile from serving out the entire sentence given out by the trial court.”
LAROSA
A person such as Larosa, convicted of killing one person, is eligible under Ohio’s new law for a parole hearing after serving 25 years in prison, Rivera said. Larosa, now 22, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in October 2018.
“If the juvenile offender committed one homicide offense — murder or aggravated murder, manslaughter or reckless homicide — they would be eligible automatically after serving 25 years,” Rivera said.
A person who is the primary offender and kills two people as a juvenile would be eligible for a parole hearing after 30 years, Rivera said.
Watkins called the new Ohio law “unnecessary,” saying it will allow Larosa and others in his situation to be “parole eligible and possibly released back into the community in their 30s and 40s.”
He said the new law “nullifies the hard work and judgments of judges throughout the state who have previously, in their discretion and after careful consideration of the facts and background of juvenile offenders such as Larosa, determined that life without parole sentences were necessary to protect the public from these offenders.”
BARNETTE AND GOINS
Another Mahoning County case involves Chad Barnette and James Goins, who were both 16 when they caused mayhem in their Youngstown neighborhood in January 2001 by attacking an 84-year-old man who had gone out to get his newspaper. The victim suffered spinal cord contusion, fractured vertebrae, a concussion, punctured lung and broken ribs.
Later that night, they kicked their way into the home of a man, 64, who was nearly wheelchair-bound and his wife. They had a sawed-off shotgun and beat the couple. Barnette and Goins were each convicted of attempted aggravated murder, and multiple counts of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and felonious assault, and each was sentenced to about 80 years in prison.
Under the new sentencing law, each is eligible for a parole hearing after serving 18 years, Rivera said. Both were sentenced in March 2002, meaning they have served just over 18 years already. Eighteen years is the start of parole eligibility for juvenile offenders who commit non-homicide offenses, Rivera said.
Rivera said it may seem unfair that Bunch, Moore, Barnette and Goins are eligible for parole after 18 years when someone who committed lesser offenses — but got 20 years in prison — will have the same parole eligibility as these four.
“It essentially puts all juveniles on the same footing regardless of how horrific of an offense that they committed,” he said.
Earlier sentences affected by life ban
Juvenile convicts have chance to seek parole
Juveniles in Ohio no longer can be sentenced to life in prison without parole, in most cases.
Ohio joined 23 other states with similar bans a week ago, and appears to be part of a national movement to give juvenile offenders a second chance.
The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 banned the death penalty for offenders who committed their crimes as a juvenile, and in 2010 the court banned life in prison without parole for all juvenile offenders except those who committed homicide.
That decision and one from the Ohio Supreme Court in 2016 reversing the 112-year prison sentence Youngstown teen Brandon Moore received for brutal rapes were cited as reasons some Ohio legislators changed Ohio’s law last week.
Mahoning County Prosecutor Paul Gains said he doesn’t agree with the change “because these are really the most heinous offenses. But obviously we will comply with the law.”
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins said his office “fought against these changes, along with the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association and other prosecutors across the state.”
The new law leaves a narrow group of juvenile offenders who could still get life in prison without parole, said Ralph Rivera, assistant Mahoning County prosecutor. They are individuals who kill at least three people, such as T.J. Lane, who killed three people and injured others at Chardon High School in 2012.
But the new law also has changes that affect juvenile offenders who were sentenced previously. It gives them a chance at parole much sooner than they would have had otherwise. It does not, however, guarantee anyone will be released earlier than the sentence handed down by the judge.
“The only thing guaranteed is that opportunity to obtain release, which is the parole hearing,” Rivera said. “All of the offenders can serve out their entire sentence if the parole board denies them.”
After the first hearing, the parole board must hold additional hearings within five years.
SHOCKING CASES
Among those who will be affected are Moore and his Youngstown co-defendant, Chaz Bunch; and Trumbull County killer Jacob LaRosa.
Moore and Bunch kidnapped a woman from the parking area of her job on Detroit Avenue in Youngstown, then took her to the Peyatt Street area, where she repeatedly was raped.
LaRosa beat and killed Marie Belcastro, 94, in her Cherry Street home in Niles and pleaded no contest to aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and attempted rape.
In the Youngstown case, Moore, 15, and Bunch, 16, got prison sentences so long they would not have left prison in their lifetimes. LaRosa, 15, of Niles was sentenced to life in prison without parole.
But the 2016 Ohio Supreme Court case struck down Moore’s sentence. Moore, now 37, and Bunch, now 36, were resentenced a few years ago in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to about 50 years each.
Under the new law, defendants convicted of offenses as a juvenile now are eligible for parole after 18, 25 or 30 years in prison.
Rivera said Ohio’s new law makes Moore and Bunch eligible for a parole hearing after serving 18 years in prison. Both have served slightly more than 18 years, meaning when the Ohio Parole Board is able to schedule a hearing, they can argue for their freedom.
The Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office will have the opportunity to argue against their release, Rivera said, adding: “Nothing prevents the juvenile from serving out the entire sentence given out by the trial court.”
LaRosa
A person such as LaRosa, convicted of killing one person, is eligible under Ohio’s new law for a parole hearing after serving 25 years in prison, Rivera said. LaRosa, now 22, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in October 2018.
“If the juvenile offender committed one homicide offense — murder or aggravated murder, manslaughter or reckless homicide — they would be eligible automatically after serving 25 years,” Rivera said.
A person who is the primary offender and kills two people as a juvenile would be eligible for a parole hearing after 30 years, Rivera said.
Watkins called the new Ohio law “unnecessary,” saying it will allow LaRosa and others in his situation to be “parole eligible and possibly released back into the community in their 30s and 40s.”
He said the new law “nullifies the hard work and judgments of judges throughout the state who have previously, in their discretion and after careful consideration of the facts and background of juvenile offenders such as LaRosa, determined that life without parole sentences were necessary to protect the public from these offenders.”
BARNETTE AND GOINS
Another Mahoning County case involves Chad Barnette and James Goins, who were both 16 when they caused mayhem in their Youngstown neighborhood in January 2001 by attacking an 84-year-old man who had gone out to get his newspaper. The victim suffered spinal cord contusion, fractured vertebrae, a concussion, punctured lung and broken ribs.
Later that night, they kicked their way into the home of a man, 64, who was nearly wheelchair-bound and his wife. They had a sawed-off shotgun and beat the couple. Barnette and Goins were each convicted of attempted aggravated murder, and multiple counts of aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, kidnapping and felonious assault, and each was sentenced to about 80 years in prison.
Under the new sentencing law, each is eligible for a parole hearing after serving 18 years, Rivera said. Both were sentenced in March 2002, meaning they have served just over 18 years already. Eighteen years is the start of parole eligibility for juvenile offenders who commit non-homicide offenses, Rivera said.
Rivera said it may seem unfair that Bunch, Moore, Barnette and Goins are eligible for parole after 18 years when someone who committed lesser offenses — but got 20 years in prison — will have the same parole eligibility as these four.“It essentially puts all juveniles on the same footing regardless of how horrific of an offense that they committed,” he said.
‘Violation of trust’
Grandson assails passage of ‘Teenage Killer Protection Act’
The grandson of the 94-year-old victim of convicted murderer Jacob LaRosa blames Ohio’s elected officials for giving the killer a chance for freedom in 19 years — and then every five years after that.
“We owe this miscarriage of justice to a Republican governor and legislature,” said Brian Kirk, who questioned how this new state law could happen in a place known for its tough-on-crime, common-sense approach to governing.
LaRosa was sentenced to life without parole plus 31 years in 2018 after pleading guilty to a host of crimes surrounding the 2015 brutal slaying of Marie Belcastro at her Niles home.
“If you’re familiar with my grandmother’s death you know that Marie was still living in her own home, independently, 94 years young. She was as excited as ever about her church and prayer groups, her family and friends, and her cooking. She also developed a love for fly-fishing at age 90, which she continued to nurture,” Kirk said in a prepared statement.
“My grandmother was full of energy, love, laughter and light, and showed no signs of slowing down. Anyone who ever met her instantly fell in love. She was quick with a joke, even quicker with a laugh. I thought for sure she’d live to 100.”
On March 31, 2015, that life ended in the home Belcastro’s father built. The perpetrator was then-15-year-old LaRosa. So horrifying were LaRosa’s crimes, including attempted rape, that Judge Wyatt McKay gave him the extraordinary sentence for the teen who was charged as an adult.
In his sentencing judgment, McKay wrote: “Defendant murdered a frail 94-year-old woman who was known to be kind to him. There was no known motive for the crime. Defendant brutally beat the victim repeatedly with a Mag flashlight.”
LaRosa’s long journey to convicted felon took three-and-a-half years, methodically winding its way first through the juvenile court system, then ultimately to the second-floor courtroom in downtown Warren.
“Our family left the courthouse that day of sentencing in October 2018 with a deep sense of gratitude for the people of Trumbull County, especially (assistant) Prosecutor Chris Becker and the Niles Police Department,” Kirk stated.
Sadly, Kirk noted, Ohio’s legislature and governor undid much of the successful prosecution of LaRosa.
With the signing of Senate Bill 256 earlier this month, the elected officials decreed just about anybody in prison for life who committed murder as a juvenile must be given a chance at parole.
“The law applies retroactively, which makes zero sense,” said Kirk, who said the legislation should have been named the “Teenage Killer Protection Act.”
WRITING THE GOVERNOR
Kirk, who now lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., said he wrote Gov. Mike DeWine, protesting his signing of Senate Bill 256 into law in early January.
“Sir, this law is tough on victims! I’m exhausted. I’m angry. But I’ve already made some friends who are committed to this fight. I will get through this because I will dedicate my life to overturning this massive injustice. Can you help us?” Kirk wrote.
Kirk told DeWine his options include a lawsuit, constitutional amendment or replacement legislation, as he talks about targeted social media campaigns to state legislators.
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins vowed to do everything he can to keep LaRosa behind bars for the maximum sentence possible.
“This office will continue to vigorously oppose Jacob LaRosa’s release and take all necessary steps, including any potential appeals if warranted, to ensure Jacob LaRosa serves the maximum sentence permissible,” Watkins said.
“Before we had closure, backed up by steel bars and armed guards,” he said.
Kirk said this law is a violation of the trust all Ohioans are asked to put in the judicial system.
“A better use of the legislature’s time would have been to find a way to better punish and track juveniles when they escape from a detention facility, as LaRosa once did,” Kirk stated. “Or they could have reformed domestic violence laws so that when a juvenile puts a sibling in the hospital, as LaRosa once did, he can face real justice.”
OTHER VOICES
State Rep. Michael J. O’Brien and former Rep. Gil Blair, both Valley Democrats, voted against the legislation during the lame-duck 2020 session after the election.
O’Brien said Kirk’s cause will be helped by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision Thursday against new restrictions on juvenile sentencing. O’Brien said that action may be the constitutional solution, but it is not enough, and he will be meeting with the state prosecutor’s association to find a legislation solution.
“This is unfair for the victims in this case that LaRosa would be eligible for parole in 2043,” O’Brien said.
Watkins also recognized the new law wiped out prosecution efforts to protect the public.
“This law not only changes and overrides Ohio’s historical, proper and warranted sentencing scheme giving Ohio common pleas judges wide discretion in decision-making for the most serious juvenile offenders, but because of its retroactivity, nullifies the hard work and judgments of judges throughout the state who have previously, in their discretion and after careful consideration of the facts and background of juvenile offenders such as LaRosa, determined that life without parole sentences were necessary to protect the public from these offenders,” Watkins stated.
Also speaking against the new law is the Ohio director and national legislative director of the National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Murderers. In a statement shortly after the passage of S.B. 256, she wrote: “Once again, victims have been significantly harmed. SB 256 is a dangerous bill that passed due to recklessness and gross negligence on the part of politicians and lies and propaganda on the part of activists. 256 will directly lead to violent crime. The writing is on the wall and that writing is in blood.”
But the new law also has some supporters.
Kenza Kamal, policy director at the Juvenile Justice Coalition of Ohio, applauded the legislature for ending the “cruel” practice of sentencing juveniles to life without parole.
“For years, we have known that extreme punishment for young people is harmful to their growth and the future of our communities. Ohio spends millions of dollars confining and incarcerating young people, denying their humanity and dignity, rather than empowering them and investing in their communities and schools,” Kamal stated.
But Kirk also applauds the recent high court decision, saying past actions by that body had been the excuse for Ohio Republicans and others to allow paroles for juvenile killers.
“Supporters say S.B. 256 is about rehabilitation. I believe in a God who does give second and more chances. My grandmother was a woman of deep faith, and I know she’d share that good news with LaRosa if she could,” Kirk said. “God can and does forgive. I can forgive. But this wonderful fact does not absolve LaRosa of the consequences for his actions. Only God (and S.B. 256 apparently) can do that.”
Murder victim’s grandson blasts law giving killers chance at freedom
APR 26, 2021
GUY VOGRIN
Reporter
[email protected]
The grandson of the 94-year-old victim of convicted murderer Jacob LaRosa blames Ohio’s elected officials for giving the killer a chance for freedom in 19 years — and then every five years after that.
“We owe this miscarriage of justice to a Republican governor and Legislature,” said Brian Kirk, who questioned how this new state law could happen in a place known for its tough-on-crime, common-sense approach to governing.
LaRosa was sentenced to life without parole plus 31 years in 2018 after pleading guilty to a host of crimes surrounding the 2015 brutal slaying of Marie Belcastro at her Niles home.
“If you’re familiar with my grandmother’s death, you know that Marie was still living in her own home, independently, 94 years young. She was as excited as ever about her church and prayer groups, her family and friends, and her cooking. She also developed a love for fly-fishing at age 90, which she continued to nurture,” Kirk said in a prepared statement.
“My grandmother was full of energy, love, laughter and light, and showed no signs of slowing down. Anyone who ever met her instantly fell in love. She was quick with a joke, even quicker with a laugh. I thought for sure she’d live to 100.”
On March 31, 2015, that life ended in the home Belcastro’s father built. The perpetrator was then-15-year-old LaRosa. So horrifying were LaRosa’s crimes, including attempted rape, that Judge Wyatt McKay gave him the extraordinary sentence for the teen who was charged as an adult.
In his sentencing judgment, McKay wrote: “Defendant murdered a frail 94-year-old woman who was known to be kind to him. There was no known motive for the crime. Defendant brutally beat the victim repeatedly with a Mag flashlight.”
LaRosa’s long journey to convicted felon took three-and-a-half years, methodically winding its way first through the juvenile court system, then ultimately to the second-floor courtroom in downtown Warren.
“Our family left the courthouse that day of sentencing in October 2018 with a deep sense of gratitude for the people of Trumbull County, especially (assistant) Prosecutor Chris Becker and the Niles Police Department,” Kirk stated.
Sadly, Kirk noted, Ohio’s legislature and governor undid much of the successful prosecution of LaRosa.
With the signing of Senate Bill 256 earlier this month, the elected officials decreed just about anybody in prison for life who committed murder as a juvenile must be given a chance at parole.
“The law applies retroactively, which makes zero sense,” said Kirk, who said the legislation should have been named the “Teenage Killer Protection Act.”
WRITING THE GOVERNOR
Kirk, who now lives in Boynton Beach, Fla., said he wrote Gov. Mike DeWine, protesting his signing of Senate Bill 256 into law in early January.
“Sir, this law is tough on victims! I’m exhausted. I’m angry. But I’ve already made some friends who are committed to this fight. I will get through this because I will dedicate my life to overturning this massive injustice. Can you help us?” Kirk wrote.
Kirk told DeWine his options include a lawsuit, constitutional amendment or replacement legislation, as he talks about targeted social media campaigns to state legislators.
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins vowed to do everything he can to keep LaRosa behind bars for the maximum sentence possible.
“This office will continue to vigorously oppose Jacob LaRosa’s release and take all necessary steps, including any potential appeals if warranted, to ensure Jacob LaRosa serves the maximum sentence permissible,” Watkins said.
“Before we had closure, backed up by steel bars and armed guards,” he said.
Kirk said this law is a violation of the trust all Ohioans are asked to put in the judicial system.
“A better use of the legislature’s time would have been to find a way to better punish and track juveniles when they escape from a detention facility, as LaRosa once did,” Kirk stated. “Or they could have reformed domestic violence laws so that when a juvenile puts a sibling in the hospital, as LaRosa once did, he can face real justice.”
OTHER VOICES
State Rep. Michael J. O’Brien and former Rep. Gil Blair, both Valley Democrats, voted against the legislation during the lame-duck 2020 session after the election.
O’Brien said Kirk’s cause will be helped by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision Thursday against new restrictions on juvenile sentencing. O’Brien said that action may be the constitutional solution, but it is not enough, and he will be meeting with the state prosecutor’s association to find a legislation solution.
“This is unfair for the victims in this case that LaRosa would be eligible for parole in 2043,” O’Brien said.
Watkins also recognized the new law wiped out prosecution efforts to protect the public.
“This law not only changes and overrides Ohio’s historical, proper and warranted sentencing scheme giving Ohio common pleas judges wide discretion in decision-making for the most serious juvenile offenders, but because of its retroactivity, nullifies the hard work and judgments of judges throughout the state who have previously, in their discretion and after careful consideration of the facts and background of juvenile offenders such as LaRosa, determined that life without parole sentences were necessary to protect the public from these offenders,” Watkins stated.
Also speaking against the new law is the Ohio director of the National Organization of Victims of Juvenile Murderers. In a statement shortly after the passage of S.B. 256, she wrote: “Once again, victims have been significantly harmed. SB 256 is a dangerous bill that passed due to recklessness and gross negligence on the part of politicians and lies and propaganda on the part of activists. 256 will directly lead to violent crime. The writing is on the wall and that writing is in blood.”
But the new law also has some supporters.
Kenza Kamal, policy director at the Juvenile Justice Coalition of Ohio, applauded the legislature for ending the “cruel” practice of sentencing juveniles to life without parole.
“For years, we have known that extreme punishment for young people is harmful to their growth and the future of our communities. Ohio spends millions of dollars confining and incarcerating young people, denying their humanity and dignity, rather than empowering them and investing in their communities and schools,” Kamal stated.
But Kirk also applauds the recent SCOTUS decision, saying past actions by that body had been the excuse for Ohio Republicans and others to allow paroles for juvenile killers.
“Supporters say S.B. 256 is about rehabilitation. I believe in a God who does give second and more chances. My grandmother was a woman of deep faith, and I know she’d share that good news with LaRosa if she could,” Kirk said. “God can and does forgive. I can forgive. But this wonderful fact does not absolve LaRosa of the consequences for his actions. Only God (and S.B. 256 apparently) can do that.”
