Hocking Hills State Park case moves forward; change of venue is possible

The two 16-year old males accused of murdering a Circleville woman on September 2nd at Hocking Hills State Park saw one charge against each individual being dropped though remaining – and more serious - ones were recently agreed to by the Hocking County Grand Jury.

The two defendants who are alleged to have killed 44-year-old Chillicothe photographer Victoria Shafer are Jaden W. Churchheus and Jordan A. Buckley, both of Hocking County’s Logan.

Churchhaus and Buckley have been charged with murder, which is an Unclassified Felony punishable by up to life in prison.

Other charges include 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; and Reckless Homicide, a felony of the third degree, punishable by jail time of up to five years, a fine of up to $10,000, or both.

Not agreed to by the Hocking County Grand Jury was the county prosecutor’s initial charge of Felonious Assault, a felony of the second degree and punishable by jail time from two to eight years, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.

However, neither Churchheus nor Buckley can be sentenced to both the murder and manslaughter charges, but the duel accusations gives a jury room to decide the youths’ fate, should either one or both be found guilty, said Hocking County Prosecutor Benjamin E. Fickel.

Fickel said if a jury finds the two young men are guilty of murder they could be immediately incarcerated to serve their sentence in an adult prison.

If a jury finds them guilty of one of the lesser charges than a juvenile court judge would sentence them to serve their time in a juvenile detention facility, Fickel said.

“It’s rather complicated under Ohio law,” Fickel told “Ohio Outdoor News.”

Various legal proceedings for the accused youths are tentative, with pretrial conferences set for mid-December for each, followed by a trail for one at the end of January and the other for the first part of February.

Fickel said also the case and its details remain under review, and it is possible that the matter could see a merger of court dates and an ultimate combined trial.

Likewise, it is possible the case could involve what is called a change of venue. This means one or both trials would be moved to another county, given the notoriety of the case, Fickel said.

“We’re a rather small, rural county and we’ve never had to bound over a juvenile to adult trial for murder before,” Fickel told “Ohio Outdoor News.”

Churchheus and Buckley were released under their own recognizance but under strict guidelines that include no contact with other juveniles along with home detention, Fickel said.

Fickel said also a gag order has been imposed on the case. This prohibits both his office and the defense attorneys from speaking about the merits of the case though not its legal details.

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischk@Ameritech.net

JFrischk4@gmail.com