UPDATE: Ohio Teen To Be Tried As Adult In Craigslist Case

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Posted: 6:04 PM Apr 18, 2012

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A 17-year-old boy will be tried as an adult in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme.

Reporter: Associated Press

Coroner Says 3rd Victim of Craigslist Killer Died In August

Suspected Craigslist Killer Arraigned On Prostitution Charges

New Body Found In Akron Possibly Related To Craigs List Killer

Suspects Names Confirmed in Craigslist Related Attempted Murder

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UPDATE: 4/18/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A 17-year-old boy will be tried as an adult in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme.

Brogan Rafferty of Stow waived his right Wednesday to a hearing. That means the juvenile court case involving two of three homicides goes to adult court in Akron.

Attorneys expect those counts to be merged with charges of murder and attempted murder originally from Noble County in the killing of a third man and an attack on a fourth victim.

Rafferty is suspected of helping 52-year-old Richard Beasley of Akron lure victims with bogus job offers. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Rafferty was already facing life in prison without chance of parole if convicted of the aggravated murder count pending in adult court.

The Akron Beacon Journal says Rafferty's mother was in court Wednesday.

UPDATE: 4/16/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A 17-year-old charged in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme in Ohio has agreed to waive a hearing and have charges against him merged in adult felony court.

Defense attorney John Alexander said Monday that Brogan Rafferty will waive his right to a hearing on being tried as an adult when he appears before a judge Wednesday in Akron.

Alexander says that will clear the way for juvenile court charges in the deaths of two men to be merged with adult charges originally from Noble County in the death of a third man and an attack on a fourth victim. Rafferty has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He's suspected of helping 52-year-old Richard Beasley of Akron lure victims with bogus Craigslist job offers. Beasley has pleaded not guilty.

UPDATE: 2/22/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Oct. 9 trial has been set for an Ohio teen charged with helping a man kill one victim and try to kill another in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, a Summit County judge set the date Wednesday for 17-year-old Brogan Rafferty.

He pleaded not guilty last week to aggravated murder and attempted murder charges originally brought in Noble County, where the case unfolded last year.

He's suspected of helping 52-year-old Richard Beasley of Akron, who has been described as the teen's mentor. They allegedly lured victims with bogus Craigslist job offers.

Beasley has pleaded not guilty and could face the death penalty if convicted. As a juvenile, Rafferty cannot.

Rafferty also faces juvenile court charges in the deaths of two other victims.

UPDATE: 2/17/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio teen has pleaded not guilty to killing one man and attempting to kill a second in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme that targeted older and single out-of-work men.

Brogan Rafferty, his ankles and wrists cuffed, made a brief appearance Friday in adult felony court in Akron on charges originally filed in Noble County, where the case unfolded.

Rafferty, dressed in a white T-shirt and orange jail pants, also has been charged with three counts of aggravated murder in juvenile court in Summit County. Prosecutors eventually hope to merge the cases in adult court in Akron.

A magistrate continued Rafferty's $1 million bond. His attorney says Rafferty cannot afford it.

A onetime mentor of Rafferty, 52-year-old Richard Beasley of Akron, has pleaded not guilty in the killings.

UPDATED: 2/08/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - There won't be a trial soon for an Ohio man suspected in the shooting deaths of three men lured to a rural area by bogus job listings on Craigslist.

Fifty-two-year-old Richard Beasley appeared in court Wednesday in Akron and waived his right to a speedy trial, a common move that allows more legal preparation time.

The self-styled chaplain from Akron has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and attempted murder in the slayings of three men and the wounding of a fourth. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

According to the Akron Beacon Journal, Beasley shielded his face from photographers, which he has done before in court. He says he wants to avoid contaminating the jury pool.

A 17-year-old co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to juvenile counts.

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UPDATED: 2/08/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio man suspected in the shooting deaths of three men who were lured to a rural area by bogus job ads on Craigslist faces another court hearing.

Fifty-two-year-old Richard Beasley is scheduled for a pretrial hearing Wednesday in Akron on trial scheduling issues.

The self-styled chaplain from Akron has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder in the slayings of three men and the wounding of a fourth. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

A 17-year-old co-defendant has pleaded not guilty to juvenile counts. Brogan Rafferty was a student at Stow-Munroe Falls High School in suburban Akron when he was arrested in the fall.

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UPDATED: 1/25/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A self-styled chaplain suspected in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme in Ohio has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder and kidnapping.

An attorney for 52-year old Richard Beasley entered the plea Wednesday on his behalf.

Beasley hid his face in his arms during his arraignment by video hookup from jail. He asked about news cameras in the Akron courtroom and said he worried that showing his face might contaminate the jury pool.

He's accused of killing three men and wounding a fourth. Prosecutors say victims of the alleged plot were lured with a Craigslist job ad.

Beasley was indicted on 27 counts and could face the death penalty if convicted. He denied involvement in the killings.

A 16-year-old boy also charged in the case has pleaded not guilty.

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UPDATED: 1/25/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - A self-styled chaplain suspected in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme in Ohio will answer to charges including aggravated murder and kidnapping.

Fifty-two-year old Richard Beasley is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning in Akron. He was indicted Friday on 28 counts and could face the death penalty if convicted.

He's accused of killing three men and wounding a fourth in August, October and November. Prosecutors say victims of the alleged plot were lured with a Craigslist job ad.

Beasley has denied any involvement in the killings. He was arrested in November.

A 16-year-old boy also charged in the case has pleaded not guilty.

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UPDATED: 1/23/2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A teenage suspect in a deadly Ohio scheme to rob people who replied to a Craigslist job ad has pleaded not guilty to several new charges.

The case of 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty has been transferred to his home county of Summit, 100 miles from the rural southeastern county where jobseekers were promised work.

Rafferty entered the not guilty plea Monday in Summit County Juvenile Court, where his case was transferred late last week.

The Summit County prosecutor's office says Rafferty has been charged with juvenile counts of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, attempted murder and kidnapping.

An adult suspect faces the death penalty if convicted of similar charges.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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UPDATE: 1/23/2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A juvenile suspect in a deadly scheme to rob people who replied to a Craigslist job ad in Ohio now faces a new set of criminal charges.

Sixteen-year-old Brogan Rafferty is to appear Monday afternoon before a Summit County Juvenile Court judge in Akron.

Summit County prosecutor's spokeswoman April Wiesner says Rafferty was charged with several juvenile counts late Friday.

Wiesner says Rafferty was charged with three counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted murder, four counts of aggravated robbery and four counts of kidnapping.

Those counts replace charges that Rafferty faced in Noble County before his case was transferred to Summit County.

Rafferty's attorney, John Alexander, says Monday's hearing will involve the review of charges and allow for bond to be discussed.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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UPDATE: 1/23/2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The juvenile suspect in a deadly scheme to rob people who replied to a Craigslist job ad is due in court after his case was transferred out of a rural Ohio county.

Sixteen-year-old Brogan Rafferty is to appear Monday afternoon before a Summit County Juvenile Court judge in Akron.

Rafferty's attorney, John Alexander, says the preliminary hearing will involve the review of charges and allow for bond to be discussed.

A Noble County judge determined Friday that Rafferty's case should be transferred to Summit County, where Rafferty is from and where he'd been held in jail.

Although two men were killed in Noble County and a third wounded there, neither the victims nor Rafferty and an adult suspect were from the county.

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UPDATE: 1/20/2012

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio man has been charged with kidnapping, robbery and aggravated murder in what authorities say was a scheme to rob people who replied to a job ad on Craigslist.

The 28-count indictment against Richard Beasley announced Friday in Akron accuses him of killing three men and wounding a fourth in August, October and November.

If convicted of the aggravated murder charges, Beasley could be sentenced to death.

The 52-year-old has denied involvement in the plot, which lured single and older out-of-work men to a nonexistent farm in rural southeastern Ohio.

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UPDATE: 12/21/2011 11:09 AM

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio teen who will be tried as an adult in
a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme has been moved to an adult jail
that's able to house a juvenile.

Sixteen-year-old Brogan Rafferty had been held at a juvenile
detention center. He's accused of killing one man and attempting to
kill another who answered a Craigslist ad for a bogus job in
southeast Ohio's Noble County. A second, 52-year-old suspect is
jailed on unrelated charges.

Rafferty has been transferred to the Summit County Jail in
Akron. Its administrator tells the Akron Beacon Journal that the
jail can meet requirements that the teen be kept completely
separate from adult inmates, unlike the Noble County Jail.

The newspaper reports the Noble County sheriff turned Rafferty
over to Summit County authorities on Friday.

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UPDATE: 12/16/2011

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The friend of a man who appears to be the first of three who were shot and killed after answering a Craigslist help-wanted ad plans on holding a life celebration Friday evening.

Summer Rowley tells the Akron Beacon Journal that 55-year-old Ralph Geiger was a father figure to her.

Authorities believe jobseekers were killed after being lured with a Craigslist ad for a bogus farm job in southeast Ohio. Investigators in the case discovered Geiger's body Nov. 25 on the same property in rural Noble County where another body was found.

Rowley says she collected Geiger's ashes because most of his family lives outside of Ohio. She plans on holding the memorial in Portage Lakes, Ohio, where Geiger was well-known as a handyman.

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UPDATE: 12/15/2011

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - A teenager accused in a deadly robbery scheme that lured victims with a phony Craigslist job ad will be tried as an adult.

Judge John Nau of Noble County Juvenile Court ruled Thursday that prosecutors had presented enough evidence that 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty is accused of crimes so serious that his case can be transferred to adult court.

Authorities say applicants answering a Craigslist ad for a job at a nonexistent cattle ranch in Noble County, in rural southeastern Ohio, were robbed and killed.

A second suspect, 52-year-old Richard Beasley, is jailed on unrelated drug and prostitution charges.

The Associated Press generally does not identify juvenile suspects, but Rafferty's name has been widely reported by local and national media outlets.

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UPDATE: 12/15/2011

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - A teenager accused in a deadly robbery team that lured victims with a phony Craigslist job ad could face charges in adult court.

Judge John Nau of Noble County Juvenile Court planned a hearing Thursday in Caldwell to determine whether 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty is accused of crimes so serious he should be tried as an adult.

Authorities say applicants answering a Craigslist ad for a job at a nonexistent cattle ranch in Noble County, 90 miles south of Akron in rural southeastern Ohio, were robbed, then killed.

A second suspect, 52-year-old Richard Beasley, is jailed in Summit County on unrelated drug and prostitution charges.

The Associated Press generally does not identify juvenile suspects, but Rafferty's name has been widely reported by local and national media outlets.

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UPDATE: 12/11/2011

CLEVELAND (AP) - An Ohio 16-year-old charged with murder in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme believes God will keep him from a long incarceration.

Brogan Rafferty writes to his father that he worries many of his relatives will die before he gets out of prison. Rafferty's father has given a copy of the letter to The Plain Dealer.

Authorities say the teenager had been involved in a scheme in which applicants answering a job ad were robbed, then killed. Three deaths are under investigation. Authorities say they also plan to charge 52-year-old Richard Beasley in the plot.

In the letter written last month, Rafferty says he's kept in solitary confinement and he spends time reading and exercising.

Rafferty doesn't address the charges against him but apologizes for putting his father "in this position."

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UPDATE: 12/11/2011

CLEVELAND (AP) - A 16-year-old Ohio teen charged with murder involving men who responded to bogus Craigslist job ads believes God will keep his jail time short.

In a letter to his father obtained by The Plain Dealer, Brogan Rafferty writes that he is still worried that many of his family members will be dead by the time he gets out of prison.

Three deaths are under investigation in the alleged plot to lure victims with the phony job ad. Authorities say they also plan to charge 52-year-old Richard Beasley.

In the letter written last month, Rafferty says he is being kept in solitary confinement and he spends his time reading and exercising.

While he doesn't address the charges against him, Rafferty apologized to his father for putting him "in this position."

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UPDATE: 12/09/11

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Interviews and records indicate that a Texas parolee now suspected in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme was mistakenly released from Ohio custody last summer not once, but twice.

Texas officials and the head of a national commission that oversees prisoner-transfer rules say 52-year-old Richard Beasley should never have been released from the county jail in Akron, where he was being held on drug charges this summer.

The brother of a victim whose body was found last month called Beasley's release tragic.

Ohio is now investigating what went wrong, an inquiry that state officials called unprecedented.

Authorities say they are planning to charge Beasley with killing three men and wounding a third between August and November.

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UPDATED: 12/07/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - His brother says a possible victim most recently linked to a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme in Ohio would not have used the website to look for work.

Authorities believe jobseekers were killed after being lured with a Craigslist ad for a bogus farm job in southeast Ohio.

But Mark Geiger tells The Columbus Dispatch his brother was not the sort to look for work online.

A death certificate shows 55-year-old Ralph Geiger died around Aug. 9, weeks before the suspected killings of two other victims.

Investigators in the case discovered Geiger's body Nov. 25 on the same property in rural Noble County where another body was found.

Mark Geiger says people who spoke to his brother before he disappeared say he talked about going for farm work.

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UPDATED: 12/07/2011

An Ohio coroner says a man suspected of being the third fatal victim of a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme died in August, weeks before the suspected killings of two other victims.

The body of Ralph Geiger was discovered Nov. 25 in Noble County in rural southeastern Ohio during an investigation into two other deaths and the wounding of a fourth man.

Noble County Coroner Alan Spencer lists Geiger's date of death as around Aug. 9, according to a copy of Geiger's death certificate obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Authorities believe the other victims were killed in October and November.

Police have identified as suspects a 16-year-old high school student and a 52-year-old self-styled preacher.

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UPDATED: 12/06/2011

MASSILLON, Ohio (AP) - Mourners will gather in Ohio to remember one of the victims of what authorities say was a death trap set through a Craigslist job ad.

A memorial service for 47-year-old Timothy Kern is scheduled for Tuesday evening at a funeral home in the Massillon area of northeast Ohio, where he lived. The 6:30 p.m. ceremony will follow an hour of visitation.

Kern's body was found Nov. 29 in a shallow grave near an Akron shopping mall. Authorities say he interviewed for a bogus farm job in southeast Ohio advertised on Craigslist and was last seen Nov. 13.

Two other deaths and the wounding of a fourth man are part of the investigation. Authorities have identified as suspects a 16-year-old high school student and a 52-year-old self-styled preacher.

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UPDATED: 12/05/2011

CLEVELAND (AP) - A prosecutor in Ohio says a self-styled chaplain suspected in the Craigslist slayings will be charged with murder and could face the death penalty.

The announcement came Monday in Akron from Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh. She says her office will press murder and attempted murder charges against 52-year-old Richard Beasley. He's locked up in Akron on unrelated prostitution and drug charges.

Three deaths are under investigation in the alleged plot to lure victims with a phony Craigslist job ad.

Beasley has denied any involvement. A teen acquaintance of his from Akron has been charged with murder.

The prosecutor says local and federal officials signed off on the agreement to let her office take the lead.

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UPDATED: 12/03/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Authorities have identified a third body possibly tied to a deadly Ohio Craigslist scheme that lured jobseekers with a fake ad for cattle ranch work.

Noble County Sheriff Steve Hannum said Saturday that the body of Ralph Geiger was found in a shallow grave near where the body of another jobseeker was found this month.

Authorities are under a gag order and did not immediately tie Geiger's corpse to a Craigslist help-wanted ad for a farmhand job that led two other men to their deaths. A statement from Hannum says an "ongoing investigation" led authorities to Geiger's body.

The farm in the ad doesn't exist. The bodies were on coal company land leased to hunters.

Authorities say another man survived a shooting on the property and escaped.

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UPDATED: 12/02/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A suspect in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme in Ohio has pleaded not guilty to unrelated prostitution charges.

No charges related to the Craigslist plot have been filed against Richard Beasley, but the FBI has placed a hold on Beasley requiring that it be notified if he's released from jail.

Beasley was arraigned Friday in Summit County Common Pleas Court in Akron on a 15-count prostitution indictment, including one count that he pressed a 17-year-old boy into prostitution. His attorney, Rhonda Kotnik, says her client plans to fight the charges.

Beasley is a suspect in an alleged scheme in which applicants answering a phony Craigslist ad for farm work in Ohio were robbed, then killed. A teenager has been charged so far in that investigation.

UPDATED: 12/02/2011 11:00am

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A new court date has been set to determine if an Ohio teen charged in a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme should be tried as an adult.

Brogan Rafferty, of Akron, faces juvenile charges of aggravated murder, complicity to aggravated murder, attempted murder and complicity to attempted murder in the death of one man and the shooting of another.

The assignment commissioner of Noble County Probate Court scheduled a Dec. 15 hearing for the 16-year-old Rafferty.

Rafferty appeared briefly in court earlier this week but the hearing was postponed because his father, who wasn't present, hadn't received proper notice of new charges filed last week.

Authorities say the teenager was involved in a scheme in which applicants answering a phony Craigslist ad for farm work were robbed, then killed.

UPDATE: 12/01/2011 4:35 PM

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The Texas Parole Authority initially requested that Richard Beasley be held for violating his burglary conviction parole after he was arrested in Ohio on drug-dealing charges.

But records show Texas was only interested in bringing Beasley back if he were convicted in the drug case.

Bill Holland, a spokesman for the Summit County Sheriff's Office, told The Associated Press on Thursday that Texas agreed to lift its hold on Beasley until the drug case was resolved.

Beasley is now a suspect in the deaths of two men and the nonfatal shooting of a third man who answered a phony Craigslist ad for a cattle farm job.

UPDATE: 11/30/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A pastor and close friend of a man killed in Ohio in what authorities call a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme says the FBI traced the victim's whereabouts using an email he sent to his family.

Pastor Kenny Bryant is from the Tabernacle Church in Norfolk, Va. He said Wednesday the brother and ex-wife of David Pauley grew concerned after not hearing from Pauley once he arrived in Ohio last month.

The 51-year-old Pauley went to southeastern Ohio after landing what he thought was a job helping run a cattle ranch.

Authorities say Pauley was killed Oct. 23. His body was found on Noble County property owned by a coal company and often leased to hunters.

Bryant says Pauley was excited about the job because he'd been out of work.

UPDATED: 11/29/2011 5:22 PM

Authorities investigating the Noble County Craigslist case found the body of a man shot in the head. The Associated Press reports that officials suspect this man could be Ralph Geiger.

Police believe two other deaths are linked to what has been described as a robbery scheme.

Two people are in custody, including 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty and 52-year-old Richard Beasley.

Rafferty appeared in court today, but his case was continued after a motion was filed to consolidate the charges. He's facing charges of attempted murder, complicity to attempt murder, aggravated murder, and complicity to aggravated murder.

Beasley hasn't been charged in the case.

UPDATED: 11/29/2011

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - Authorities say preliminary findings show a body found by authorities investigating Ohio's Craigslist case is a man who was shot in the head.

The coroner's office in southeast Ohio's Noble County issued a statement Tuesday saying it had identified the body found Friday as John Doe. Officials say they suspect his name is Ralph Geiger but didn't explain the basis for that.

Police believe two other deaths are linked to what they've described as a robbery scheme involving a bogus Craigslist ad for a job on a farm. The county sheriff is under a gag order and has not said whether the body discovered Friday is connected with the case.

Two people are in custody, including a 16-year-old boy charged with attempted murder on Nov. 18. Additional charges filed Nov. 22 include aggravated murder and complicity to aggravated murder.

UPDATED: 11/29/2011

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio teenager arrested as authorities investigated a deadly Craigslist robbery scheme was scheduled to appear before a judge Tuesday at a hearing that could see him transferred to adult court.

The Noble County prosecutor has asked that the 16-year-old Akron boy, now facing attempted murder charges, be tried as an adult.

The teen was taken into custody two weeks ago after interviews with the FBI.

Police have linked two deaths and a non-fatal shooting to the scheme which sought workers for a nonexistent cattle farm in southeastern Ohio.

A third body was found Friday in Noble County but hasn't yet been officially connected to the scheme.

A second suspect, a man who served as a mentor to the teen, is in jail on unrelated charges.

UPDATED: 11/28/2011

CLEVELAND (AP) - The mother of a 16-year-old Ohio boy charged with attempted murder in a Craigslist ad investigation says he's innocent and is cooperating with authorities.

Authorities say victims were lured into a deadly robbery scheme by a false job ad for a farm hand. At least two men are dead and one wounded. One other body may be connected to the case.

The teen suspect's mother said in a phone interview Monday that her son "is not a monster." She says he has been warned he will face trial as an adult and could face more than 40 years in prison.

A man described as a mentor to her son is also a suspect and is in jail in Akron on unrelated charges.

UPDATED: 11/27/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The father of an Ohio man found dead after answering a Craigslist help-wanted ad says his son sought the job in order to better provide for his three children.

Timothy Kern was found dead on Friday, buried near an Akron, Ohio, shopping mall. The Summit County Medical Examiner's office said he was shot in the head.

Kern's father, Jack Kern, said Sunday his son responded to the ad because he wanted the best for his boys.

A Norfolk, Va., man was found dead in Noble County in Ohio after answering a similar Craigslist ad in what police say was a robbery scheme. Two suspects are in custody. Another body was found Friday in Noble County, and has not been identified.

Authorities have not said whether the three deaths are linked.

UPDATED: 11/26/2011 5:15 PM

A man found buried in a shallow grave in Ohio on Friday has been identified.

His death is apparently linked to a phony Craigslist job ad that lured victims into a robbery.

Forty-seven-year-old Timothy Kern of Massillon, Ohio was last seen on November thirteenth.

He drove to Akron in response to a Craigslist job ad.

Kern died of gunshot wounds to the head.

Another murdered body was found in a shallow grave in Southeast Ohio on Friday.

UPDATED: 11/25/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio sheriff investigating the death of a man who answered a phony Craigslist ad says a new body has been found in his rural county.

Noble County Sheriff Steve Hannum said Friday that the body of a white male was found in a shallow grave without identification.

Hannum says he is continuing his investigation along with state investigators and FBI agents and cannot comment further.

The news came shortly after the FBI in Cleveland said a body found in a shallow grave near a mall in Akron could also be connected to the job listing.

Police say the ad lured victims into a robbery scheme. If the latest cases are linked it would bring the death toll to three.

Two people are in custody.

UPDATE: 11/25/2011

CLEVELAND (AP) - An Ohio woman who answered what police say was a phony Craigslist job ad that lured victims into a deadly robbery scheme says she felt sick to her stomach when she heard about it.

Heather Tuttle, of Ravenna, said Friday that she didn't learn of the potential danger she was in until an FBI agent called her this week.

The FBI says the agent that interviewed Tuttle was one of numerous agents contacting applicants to check on their well-being.

The 27-year-old Tuttle says she applied for the job running a ranch in southern Ohio in early October but never heard back.

A body found Friday in a shallow grave in Akron may be a second killing connected to the phony job listing.

UPDATE: 11/25/2011

CLEVELAND (AP) - The FBI is investigating whether a body found in a shallow grave in Akron, Ohio, is a second killing connected to a phony Craigslist job ad.

Agency spokeswoman Vicki Anderson says the body was found Friday near the Rolling Acres shopping mall in Akron.

She says the cause of death and identity are under investigation. She says the FBI is working on the supposition that the body may be that of a missing man who answered the ad.

Forty-seven-year-old Timothy Kern of Massillon hasn't been seen in more than a week.

Authorities believe an ad for a farm hand in southeastern Ohio was used to lure people into a robbery. One man who answered the ad was found dead, and another man escaped after being shot.

Two people are in custody.

UPDATE: 11/23/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A death certificate indicates a Virginia man was the victim of a deadly scheme that authorities say began with a Craigslist ad for a phony Ohio farm job.

The certificate shows 51-year-old David Pauley of Norfolk died of a gunshot wound to the head and was found in a wooded area along a road in southeast Ohio's Noble County.

Investigators there said one man lured to the nonexistent job was found dead last week, and a second was shot but fled. The FBI said Tuesday a third man is missing.

A man and a teen are in custody, but authorities have revealed few details because of a gag order.

The Noble County sheriff has said it's unclear how long the ad was online or whether there were other victims.

UPDATE: 11/23/2011

AKRON, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio man says he interviewed for a farm job from a Craigslist ad that authorities say was part of a deadly robbery scheme.

Ron Sanson tells The Akron Beacon Journal the man who interviewed him at an Akron shopping mall said about 100 people applied.

Investigators in southeast Ohio's Noble County say one man lured to the nonexistent job was found dead last week, and a second was shot but fled. The FBI said Tuesday a third man is missing.

Sanson says his interviewer seemed normal. But he recalled how the man couldn't give the exact highway exit for finding the farm property in need of overseeing.

A man and a teen have been taken into custody. Authorities under a gag order have not named the man.

UPDATE: 11/22/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The FBI says an Ohio man missing since Nov. 13 could be linked to a deadly robbery scheme in which police say two other men were lured with bogus Craigslist help-wanted ads.

Investigators say 47-year-old Timothy Kern of Massillon was last seen Nov. 13 after telling family he was meeting with a prospective employer.

One man was found dead in southeastern Ohio's Noble County last week and another said he escaped after being shot on Nov. 6. Police say they had replied to bogus Craigslist job ads.

Two people have been arrested.

The FBI says it's unusual for Kern to be out of daily contact with his family. It says without providing details that Kern's disappearance could be linked to the case. Agents won't say whether he answered a Craigslist ad.

UPDATE: 11/22/2011

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - The FBI says an Ohio man missing since Nov. 13 could be linked to a deadly robbery scheme in which police say two other men were lured with bogus Craigslist help-wanted ads.

Investigators say 47-year-old Timothy Kern of Massillon was last seen Nov. 13 after telling family he was meeting with a prospective employer.

One man was found dead in southeastern Ohio's Noble County last week and another said he escaped after being shot on Nov. 6. Police say they had replied to bogus Craigslist job ads.

Two people have been arrested.

UPDATE 11/19/2011 11:40 AM

According to an NBC affiliate, WKYC in Cleveland, Brogan Rafferty, 16, of Stow, Ohio is being charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to attempt murder in the Caldwell case.

The other suspect, Richard James Beasley, 52, of Akron, OH is being held in the Summit County Jail on other counts after the FBI asked he be contained on Wednesday.

Beasley was arrested on outstanding warrants for aggravated trafficking in drugs and compelling prostitution. He has yet to be charged in the Caldwell case.

Residents are concerned this may have been going on for some time and there is a possibility of more graves in the rural area. The sheriff is unclear on how long this ad has been posted on Craigslist.

The sheriff was not ready to identify the suspects, but other law enforcement outlets were.

The teen was arrested Wednesday. Beasley is being held in the Summit County Jail on a $1 million bond.

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio woman says a man showed up at her home covered in blood after being shot and told her he hid in the woods until dark and then went to her farmhouse because it was the first well-lighted house he saw.

Rose Schockling has a farmhouse on a hill in the tiny village of Fulda in rural southeastern Ohio.

The man told Schockling he answered a Craigslist job ad and was told he'd be erecting fences for a cattle farm.

Authorities investigating the wounding of that man and the death of another have charged a 16-year-old boy with attempted murder. Another suspect is in custody.

Schockling says the man was lucky he went the way he did because there were no houses for more than 2 miles in the other direction.

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - A 16-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder by Ohio authorities who are investigating the killing of one man and the wounding of another who had responded to a phony job ad on Craigslist.

The sheriff and prosecutor in southeast Ohio's rural Noble County said in a news release Friday that the teen also has been charged with one count of complicity to attempted murder.

The officials say they cannot comment further because of a gag order imposed by a judge. A lawyer for the teen sought the gag order, citing the "highly sensational" case.

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - A sheriff says a man from Florida has been killed and another from South Carolina has been shot after they responded to a Craigslist ad for a job on an Ohio cattle farm.

Noble County Sheriff Stephen Hannum indicated in an email Friday that he wasn't ready to identify the pair of suspects. The Akron Beacon Journal reported the suspects were an Akron man and an area high school boy.

In a follow-up, Hannum says a judge had issued a gag order, so no further information would be released.

The sheriff says robbery seemed to be the motive.

The Florida man's body was found this week in a remote area about 80 miles east of Columbus.

Hannum says the South Carolina jobseeker who responded to the same ad was shot but escaped.

CALDWELL, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio sheriff won't confirm that a 52-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy are the suspects taken into custody after a man who responded to a Craigslist job ad was found dead in a shallow grave.

Noble County Sheriff Stephen Hannum indicated in an email Friday that he wasn't ready to identify the pair. The sheriff's office said Hannum would release more information at 11 a.m. EST.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported on the suspects' ages and said the man was from Akron and the boy was an area high school student.

The Florida man's body was found this week in a remote area about 80 miles east of Columbus.

Hannum says another jobseeker from South Carolina who responded to the same bogus Craigslist ad was shot but escaped.

The Noble County Sheriff's Office is investigating the murder of a man and the attempted murder of another.

Officials tell us the investigation involves the shooting of a South Carolina man that answered an ad posted on Craig's List and probably the murder of another man.

Sheriff Steve Hannum tells us on November 6, his office received a call from a resident on Rado Ridge Road.

When deputies arrived on scene, they found a man being treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm.

The Sheriff says the victim had been lured to Noble County after answering a job advertisement on Craig's List.

He says the victim met up with the two men who posted the ad and they were all in a vehicle together, when the victim was told the road was closed for a landslide and he had to get out of the vehicle.

The victim says he turned around to see a gun pointed at him and began to run through a heavily wood area.

As he was running, he was shot in the arm, but was able to hide from the men for seven hours before making his way to a house to call for help.

Then, on Friday, the sheriff's office received a call from a woman in Boston who said her brother was missing and believed he answered the same advertisement as the first victim.

Sheriff Hannum tells us deputies returned to the scene with cadaver dogs and found the body of a male buried in a shallow grave, near where victim number one was shot in the arm.

The Licking County Coroner's Office is currently performing an autopsy on him.

They say the body hasn't been positively identified yet.

Authorities have two people in custody and believe the crimes are linked.

The investigation is ongoing.

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