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‘Craigslist Killer’ Convicted of Murdering Victims of His Phony Labor Ad Scheme

In the conclusion to one of the stranger homicide cases to spring from a classifieds website that you’ll ever hear, 53-year-old Richard Beasley from Akron, Ohio, has been convicted of kidnapping...
‘Craigslist Killer’ Convicted of Murdering Victims of His Phony Labor Ad Scheme
Written by Josh Wolford
  • In the conclusion to one of the stranger homicide cases to spring from a classifieds website that you’ll ever hear, 53-year-old Richard Beasley from Akron, Ohio, has been convicted of kidnapping and murdering three men that he found using a phony Craigslist ad.

    We first told you about this case back in November of 2011 when the Beasley and his then-16-year-old accomplice were arrested and charged with the murders.

    As the story goes, a South Carolina man answered a Craigslist ad for a general labor job on a 700-acre cattle farm in Noble county, Ohio. He said that he was told he’d be living on the farm, and thus was instructed to bring all of his belongings with him. When he arrived, two men led him into the woods and pointed a gun at his head. He managed to escape, but was clipped in the arm while fleeing.

    This led police to uncover the scheme, which they said involved Beasley and his accomplice placing phony Craigslist ads offering jobs to out-of-work laborers. The goal was to bring unsuspecting workers out to their farm, where they would rob and kill them.

    Police first uncovered one shallow grave filled with a body. Suspecting more victims, police eventually found the evidence to charge Beasley and his accomplice with multiple homicides.

    Beasley has been found guilty on all counts, including aggravated murder, aggravated attempted murder, aggravated robbery, grand and petty theft and ID theft.

    His younger accomplice, 18-year-old Brogan Rafferty, was tried and sentenced last November to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Beasley, a former preacher, will be sentenced on March 20th. The death penalty will be considered.

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