In
a November 5th probable cause hearing before Hocking County Juvenile
Court Judge Jonah Saving, two 16-year-old defendants accused of
killing 44-year-old Chillicothe photographer Victoria Shafer at
Hocking Hills State Park on September 2nd were bound over for trail
as adults.
.
The
two defendants alleged to have killed Shafer are Jaden W. Churchheus
and Jordan A. Buckley, both of Hocking County’s Logan. Their bonds
were set at $100,000 each by Judge Saving, but they
remain
incarcerated in the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Center in
Lancaster.
Should
the
youths post bound they each will be required to wear an ankle
monitor.
Churchhaus
and Buckley have been charged
with murder, which is an Unclassified Felony punishable by up to life
in prison.
Other
charges include Felonious Assault, a felony in the second degree and
punishable by jail time from two to eight years, a fine of up to
$15,000, or both; as well as Involuntary Manslaughter, a felony of
the first degree and punishable by jail time of three to 11 years, a
fine of up to $20,000, or both or
both.
They
cannot be sentenced to both the murder and manslaughter charges, but
the duel accusations gives a jury – either a grand jury or a trial
jury - room to decide the youths’ fate, should either one or both
be found guilty, said Hocking County assistant prosecutor Jorden
Meadows.
The
duel charges would also allow the defense teams and the prosecutor’s
office room to negotiate a plea bargain, Meadows said.
Meadows
said as well the case is to be turned over the Hocking County Grand
Jury which will hear testimony from witnesses and the prosecutor,
likely “before the end of the month.”
“It’s
possible the grand jury may decide which charge to go with,”
Meadows said.
Should
the Hocking County Grand Jury agree with one or all of the charges,
an arraignment hearing will be set along with a new bond hearing,
Meadows said.
Details
of the September 2nd incident allege the two youths caused a
74-pound, six-foot long log to strike and kill Shafer.
Investigators
with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Hocking County
Sheriffs Office say Schafer was standing about 75 feet below and on a
staircase at Old Man’s Cave, located within 2,356-acre Hocking
Hills State Park, when she was killed instantly by the log.
Meadows
said also a video of testimony taken by investigators alleges that
Churchhouse flipped the log over a downed tree while Buckley is
alleged to have pushed the log.
However,
a female youth - who accompanied Churchhouse and Buckley to the park
- said the former was the one who pitched the log off the ledge.
However, the female provided testimony earlier in the hearing that
she did not know who was actually responsible for the act, Meadows
said.
Investigators
allege the log was removed from a pile about 40 feet from the ledge,
which was above a second ledge before the final drop to where Shafer
is said to have been, Meadows and news accounts agree on saying.
“We’ve
never done this before in Hocking County so we’ve reached to
prosecutors in other counties to get out our bearings, and also to
the (Ohio) Attorney General for advice,” Meadows said. “It has
been a difficult case.”
Sarah
Wickham – the Natural Resources Department’s communications chief
– said her agency was part of a team that included various local,
state and federal law enforcement agencies, the Southern Ohio Ohio
Crime Stoppers, as well as “valuable input from members of the
public.”
“This
collaboration has been key to the process, and strengthened
investigators conclusions,” Wickham said, “The ODNR continues to
track this case and provide any support required as this process
continues through the courts.”
Churchheus has
retained the service of Logan attorney Ryan Shepler while Buckley has
done the same with Athens attorney K. Robert Toy. At press time,
neither attorney had responded to inquiries regarding this case as it
relates to their respective clients.
JFrischk@Ameritech.net
JFrischk4@gmail.com
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