Richard Beasley has maintained his innocence
A
US man convicted of luring men to their deaths with fake job ads on the
Craigslist website will face the death penalty, a judge has ruled.
A jury had recommended execution for Richard Beasley, 53, who
murdered three men and wounded a fourth in the US state of Ohio in
2011.
His teenage accomplice, Brogan Rafferty, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in November.
Relatives of the victims held back tears as the judge passed sentence.
In addition to three counts of aggravated murder, Beasley was
also convicted of aggravated robbery, kidnapping and attempted murder.
Appealing verdict:
Beasley declined the chance to make a statement to the court at Thursday's hearing.
He listened to the verdict with his head on this chest, sitting in a wheelchair that he uses to alleviate back pain.
Later, before a second sentencing hearing for the other
charges, Beasley said he sympathised with the families of the victims,
while maintaining his innocence.
He also said he believed his conviction would be overturned on appeal.
"This case will be reversed," Beasley said. His statement was
cut short by the judge, who said he was only allowed to comment on the
sentencing.
Rafferty, who was 16 when he was arrested, was too young to face execution.
One of the victims was killed near Akron, Ohio, while the
other men were shot during interviews for fake jobs at a remote farm in
south-eastern Ohio.
Scott Davis, 49, who was shot but survived his wounds, gave harrowing testimony during the trials.
He told the court he heard the click of a gun while walking in front of Beasley at the farm.
He said he was wounded in the arm but managed to push the gun
aside and run into nearby woods, and report the incident to police.
Craigslist (styled craigslist) is a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, items wanted, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums.
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