Man Pleads Guilty to Ohio Slayings
Repost
The following appears courtesy of today's Associated Press news wire:
Man Pleads Guilty to Ohio Slayings
By JAMES HANNAH
SIDNEY, Ohio (AP) - A man pleaded guilty today to fatally shooting three
teen-age girls and his Bible studies teacher, then taking three people
hostage
at a gas station.
Lawrence Michael Hensley, 30, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder,
attempted
aggravated murder and kidnapping in a deal to avoid the death penalty.
In
exchange for the plea, he was sentenced to life in prison with no chance
of
parole.
Hensley offered no reason for the killings. But his attorney, Kort
Gatterdam,
said he had a sexual addiction and studied satanism.
``He was possessed by the thought that Satan was more powerful than
God,''
Gatterdam said.
Prosecutor James Stevenson said he believes Hensley was involved in some
type
of criminal behavior and was afraid it would become known, and that may
have
triggered the shooting spree.
He said Hensley previously had exposed himself to one or more of the
girls, but
it's not clear if that happened the day of the shootings.
The pleas came during a hearing to consider keeping some evidence out of
his
April 4 trial.
Hensley pleaded guilty to killing his neighbor, Sherry Kimbler, 16, her
cousin,
Tosha L. Barrett, 16, and their friend, Amy Mikesell, 14, at his home on
July
8. The girls' bodies were found after a 22-year-old woman who had been
shot and
wounded escaped from the house in this western Ohio city. He then drove
to the
home of a church leader, Brett Wildermuth, 37, shot him to death and
fled.
Five days later, Hensley was seen in a car loaded with guns after a
driver was
wounded on a highway. Soon after, he fired a shot at the home of another
Bible
studies teacher. Police chased him to a gas station, where he allegedly
took
three hostages before surrendering about an hour and a half later.
Hensley broke down in tears and apologized to the families of the
victims, many
of whom were in the courtroom.
``I'm sorry for taking your daughters' lives, so sorry for doing what I
did,''
he said. ``Please forgive me.''
Police had said Hensley's wife was with him when he went to Wildermuth's
house
for a prayer session. Julie Hensley called police after Wildermuth was
shot and
was later held in protective custody. She was never charged.
AP-NY-03-07-00
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The following two news articles both appear courtesy of the 3/7/00
online
edition of The Sidney Daily News newspaper:
Hensley gets life terms
Killer asks families for forgiveness
A Sidney man pleaded guilty today to killing three teen-age girls and
his Bible
studies teacher and was sentenced to four life terms, in a plea
agreement that
averts a possible death penalty.
Lawrence Michael Hensley, 30, formerly of 119 Queen St., entered the
pleas
during a hearing in Shelby County Common Pleas Court. The pleas avoid a
trial
that was scheduled to begin April 4.
He was accused of killing the girls at his home July 8, then driving to
the
home of a church leader for a prayer session and shooting him to death.
Hensley then fled. Five days later he was seen in a car loaded with guns
after
a driver was wounded on a nearby highway. Police chased Hensley to a gas
station, where he allegedly took three hostages before surrendering
about an
hour and a half later.
Before a three-judge panel, Hensley pleaded guilty to four counts of
aggravated
murder, three counts of attempted aggravated murder and three counts of
kidnapping plus weapons specifications on the attempted murder and
kidnapping
charges. He received four life sentences on the murder charges with no
possibility of parole on the murder charges, and a total of 80 years in
prison
on the other charges and specifications.
Life in prison
In exchange, prosecutors said they would recommend that he serve life in
prison
with no chance of parole and no longer pursue the death penalty. Defense
attorneys Kort Gatterdam and Jerry McHenry agreed with the plea
agreement.
Shelby County Common Pleas Judge John Schmitt, Judge Jeffrey Wellbaum of
Miami
County and Judge Mark O'Connor of Logan County then imposed the life
sentences
on the murder charges, and Schmitt imposed the jail terms on the other
charges.
Hensley cried and apologized to the families of the victims, many of
whom were
in the courtroom this morning. He cried several times during the course
of the
hearing - particularly when he pleaded guilty to the murder charges -
and
members of his families and victims' families wiped away tears also.
"I'm sorry for taking your daughters' lives, so sorry for doing what I
did,"
Hensley told the families in an emotional voice, tears streaming down
his face.
"Please forgive me."
Hensley was accused of the stabbing deaths of Amy Mikesell, 14, and
Sherry
Kimbler, 16, and the shooting death of Tosha Barrett, 16, and Brett
Wildermuth,
37. The bodies of the girls were found at Hensley's residence July 8,
and
Wildermuth was found shot at his Stephens Road home the same day.
Kimbler died
of stab wounds and also suffered a gunshot wound. Kimbler and Barrett
were
cousins.
One victim escaped
The bodies were found at Hensley's former residence after Veronica Eagy,
22, of
Belle Center, who had been shot and wounded, escaped from the house.
The attempted murder charges are related to the shootings of Eagy also
on July
8 at Hensley's residence and Aaron Nason July 13 and the alleged
attempted
shooting of John Bruce July 13. The kidnapping charges allege Hensley
held
hostage Michael Brown, Jenny Rader and William Leiss at Speedway gas
station on
West Michigan Street July 13.
The courtroom was crowded with law enforcement authorities, court
personnel,
news media and families from both sides.
Shelby County Prosecutor James Stevenson said the families of the murder
victims agreed to the plea agreement in an attempt to close the case
without
having to go through the trial and appeals process.
"One of the victims' family told me that she couldn't get her life
together
until this was over," Stevenson said.
Hensley was returned to Shelby County Jail following the hearing and is
scheduled to be transported a prison intake center in Columbus
Wednesday.
Officials of the Ohio Department of Correction and Rehabilitation told
Stevenson that Hensley will spend prison time in at least a
medium-security
facility. He likely will go to Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in
Lucasville, Stevenson said.
Schmitt also sentenced Hensley to a total of 80 years in prison on three
counts
of attempted aggravated murder and three counts of kidnapping plus
weapons
specifications. Hensley became emotional several times during the
hearing as
did members of the families.
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Families listen as Hensley sentenced
By Christine Henderson
One woman yelled "murderer" as Lawrence Michael "Mike" Hensley appeared
during
a break in the proceedings this morning in Shelby County Common Pleas
Court.
As Hensley was later led away from the courtroom after sentencing, about
16
family and friends of victims watched and cried. Hensley looked over at
the
grieving people as he was led away surrounded by law enforcement
officers. He
was dressed in a white shirt and tie covered by a bulletproof vest. The
vest
was added before he was taken past the metal detector into the hallway
outside
the courtroom.
Two of the people waiting in the hallway made a derogatory remark and
gesture
as Hensley looked at them.
"Some people may think it is over. It is not over," said an aunt of two
of the
victims, while she was at the courthouse this morning. "His family can
go see
him at the penitentiary. I have to go to the cemetery to see my girls,"
continued Sherry Gillem, aunt of murder victims Sherry Kimbler and Tosha
Barrett.
"It will never be over for me," Gillem said.
Asked if she agreed with the plea-bargaining arrangement, Gillem said,
"It
doesn’t matter. I still lost two precious things to me. Nothing is going
to
bring them back."
Several other family members of the victims did not wish to comment this
morning.
Hensley’s father, Lawrence, said he had no comment after the sentencing.
Hensley, formerly of 119 Queen St., was sentenced this morning on four
counts
of aggravated murder, three counts of attempted aggravated murder and
three
counts of kidnapping. Killed on July 13, 1999, were Amy Mikesell, Sherry
Kimbler, Tosha Barrett and Brett Wildermuth.
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