Ohio Craigslist Killer Case: Jury Selection Begins

Jury selection began in the Ohio Craigslist murder case on Tuesday. Richard Beasley, 53, is accused of luring men to a rural section of the Buckeye State with promises of farm jobs. The jobs weren’t real, and neither was the farm. Victim Scott Davis managed to escape by running through the woods of southern Ohio and alerted police to the twisted murder plot. Three men were allegedly murdered by the accused Craigslist killers.

Richard Beasley is a so-called street preacher who allegedly hatched the Craigslist killings with teenage accomplice, Brogan Rafferty, NewsNet 5 reports. Scott Davis drove from South Carolina to interview for a $300 a week job to take care of a cattle farm. The sole living victim of the attacks was told that the job included a place to live while serving as a caretaker on the farm.

The trio of men allegedly walked deep into the woods after exiting a vehicle on an isolated country road. Davis testified during Brogan Rafferty’s trial that he knew that he was “in trouble” when he heard someone behind him utter a curse word and then the sound of a cocking gun.

Scott Davis was reportedly shot in the elbow while fleeing through the forest. He testified previously that he hid beneath a tree in the creek bed to get away from his faux employers. Rafferty, now 18, was tried as an adult. He faced attempted murder, kidnapping and a host of related lesser felony charges, the Los Angeles Times notes.

Richard Beasley faces the death penalty if convicted of the Craigslist murders. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine stated that the accused Craigslist killers took advantage of men who were down on their luck and looking for an opportunity for a better life.

Do you think Richard Beasley should get the death penalty if convicted of the Craigslist murders?

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