The Craiglist killer was sentenced to death by a judge on Thursday. The killer, Richard Beasley, was famous for luring three men to a fake job and killing them.
Beasley placed the job ad on the Craigslist website with a teenage accomplice and lured three men to their deaths. Those men were David Pauley, 51, Ralph Geiger, 56, and Timothy Kern, 47.
Along with the three murder charges, the Craigslist killer was also convicted of the attempted murder of Scott Davis, 49. Davis responded to the ad and was shot in the arm while escaping the meeting.
Prosecutors called Richard Beasley a con man. They added that he acted as the mastermind and triggerman in the killings, aided by teenager Brogan Rafferty .
After Summit County Common Pleas Judge Lynne Callahan imposed the death sentence on him, the Craigslist killer told her he believed his conviction would be overturned. He added , “I want to make sure you understand: I have killed nobody.”
The ad placed by Richard Beasley offered a $300-per-week job as a ranch hand in rural Ohio. The only catch? The job never existed. Beasley and Rafferty were both convicted in separate trials. Because Rafferty was only 16 when the murders took place, he was not eligible for parole.
Instead, Rafferty was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Both men plan to appeal their convictions. But Davis, who managed to escape the Craigslist killer, told the man he planned to attend his execution. Davis told Beasley, “I will be there as you go, smiling.”
Jurors in Richard Beasley’s trial unanimously recommended the death penalty for the convicted murderer. Under Ohio law, the judge was allowed to impose either the death penalty or life in prison for the man. Beasley’s mother, Carol Beasley, asked jurors during the sentencing phase in March to spare her son from death.
Carol explained that her son was abused physically and sexually when he was a child — including by a stepfather. While Beasley’s case is certainly upsetting, it is not the first time Craigslist has been linked with murder. A former medical student was accused of killing a masseuse he met on Craigslist in 2009.
Do you think Craigslist killer Richard Beasley deserves the death penalty?