Deadly Craigslist Scheme: Convicted Teen Brogan Rafferty Lured Victims With Fake Jobs

A deadly craigslist scheme was revealed as 17-year-old Brogan Rafferty was convicted of using Craiglist to lure unemployed men with fake jobs. Rafferty and his “mentor”, Richard Beasley, would lure the men out to a deserted farm where Beasley would then shoot them. The victims of this deadly Craigslist scheme are Ralph Geiger, 56, of Akron; David Pauley, 51, of Norfolk, Virginia; and Timothy Kern, 47, of Massillon. Rafferty claims in his testimony that he acted under duress, thinking that Beasley would kill him if he disobeyed, and that he was “ordered” to dig a grave for one of the three killed men.

According to the Huffington Post, Rafferty’s defense lawyers claim he was the unwilling participant and that he did not do any of the killings himself. Rafferty claims the first killing came as a surprise, saying that Beasley “warned Rafferty to keep quiet and cooperate by reminding him that he knew where his mother and sister lived.”

But prosecutors claim otherwise, saying Rafferty was a “student of violent crime,” and prosecutors also “showed jurors photographs of a suitcase filled with weapons found in Rafferty’s bedroom, including a sawed-off shotgun, a.22-caliber pistol, two knives and ammunition. None of the weapons was conclusively linked to any of the killings.”

The perpetrators of this deadly Craigslist scheme are not serial killers. The intent was to rob the victims of personal items, even including a truck and a weapon. The only reason we know of these crimes is because the fourth intended victim got away.

Forty-nine-year-old Scott Davis of South Carolina testified as the prosecution’s primary witness, identifying Rafferty as Beasley’s accomplice. The supposed job listed for the deadly craigslist scheme was as a farmhand. Davis met Beasley and Rafferty for breakfast before driving to an isolated Noble County farm, where he was urged to look for farm equipment in a wooded area.

“Davis said he heard a gun cock and turned to find himself face to face with a handgun. He said he pushed the weapon aside, was shot in the arm and fled as Jack fired at him.” Davis fled and was able to find a house after dark where he called 911.

After the fourth day of deliberating the deadly craigslist scheme, jurors reached the verdict convicting Rafferty of three counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder.