Man convicted in deadly Craigslist plot in Ohio

Richard Beasley accused in deaths of 3 men

Richard Beasley


Copyright Associated Press

Posted: 03/12/2013
Last Updated: 98 days ago

AKRON, Ohio - A self-styled street preacher accused in a deadly plot to lure men with Craigslist job offers in Ohio and then rob them has been found guilty of aggravated murder and could face the death penalty.

A jury in Akron returned the verdict Tuesday in the case against Richard Beasley.

Two men from Ohio and one from Norfolk, Va., were slain. A man from South Carolina was shot but survived.

Prosecutors labeled the 53-year-old Beasley the triggerman in the 2011 plot with a high school student, who was convicted and sentenced last year to life in prison without the chance of parole. The teenage co-defendant had said he feared for his safety if he didn't cooperate with Beasley.

Beasley's lawyers had said investigators targeted him based only on a hunch. They said the identity theft and robbery motives prosecutors offered were baseless.
 

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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