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Post by thinkinkmesa on Feb 19, 2010 15:22:33 GMT -5
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Feb 19, 2010 15:26:45 GMT -5
Execution date set for pipe-wielding killer from Hamilton The Ohio Supreme Court has set a fall execution date for a Hamilton man convicted of beating his girlfriend to death and throwing her body in the Great Miami River, weighing it down with concrete. Michael Benge. 48, formerly of South C Street, is scheduled to die on Oct. 6 for the 1993 slaying of Judy Gabbard, although appeals for clemency will continue. Despite the execution date set this morning, Feb. 19, the Ohio Parole Board will still consider Benge’s application for clemency, according to Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper, who worked the case. All applications are reviewed and examined by the board to determine the propriety of clemency, with a recommendation being forwarded to the governor. Executive clemency can be granted only by the governor. Most likely, Piper said, Benge’s attorneys will be attempting to have Gov. Ted Strickland lift the death sentence, and instead grant life in prison. Benge has exhausted all of his state and federal appeals. “Benge lied to the police, lied to the jury, and is now attempting to mislead the clemency board by acting remorseful. He deserved the death penalty then and he deserves it now,” Piper said in a prepared statement. “Judy Gabbard was a beautiful, hard-working woman who would be with her family to this day, if not for the cold-blooded, very violent, brutality that Benge used to steal her life. I’ll fight the clemency proceedings tooth-and-nail, and if anyone saw what he did to Judy, they would understand why.” According to the facts of the case, in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 1993, Gabbard’s car was found abandoned on the west side of the Great Miami River in a field near the city’s water treatment plant. After the car was towed, smears of blood and blood spatters were observed on the car. A search by Hamilton police turned up Gabbard’s body in the river. A 35-pound hunk of concrete had been placed on her head and chest area in an apparent effort to sink and conceal the body. Piper said Gabbard had been struck nearly a dozen times with a tire iron, leaving severe gashes about her head and face. After the brutal slaying, Benge was captured on ATM cameras withdrawing money from the dead woman’s bank account. Benge told witnesses that he and his girlfriend had “gotten into it” earlier, and that it “blew over.” Later, he indicated that she was fighting with him and had tried to run him over with the car. Piper said Benge claimed he fell backward then grabbed a pipe to defend himself. But physical evidence disputed that story, including marks from the tire iron embedded in Gabbard’s face. Benge killed Gabbard because she refused to give him money to by drugs, according to Piper. To read more; www.journal-news.com/news/crime/execution-date-set-for-pipe-wielding-killer-from-hamilton-557343.html |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Feb 19, 2010 23:13:20 GMT -5
When Kathy Johnson last saw her sister’s killer in a Butler County courtroom, she told him: “I will watch you take your last breath.” Now, 17 years later, Johnson may be able to follow through on that promise. The Ohio Supreme Court on Friday set an Oct. 6 execution date for Michael Benge, now 48. He was sentenced to die for the 1993 bludgeoning of Johnson’s sister, Judith Gabbard. Benge beat Gabbard to death with a tire iron and dragged her body into the Great Miami River. He placed 35 pounds of concrete chunks atop her body in an attempt to keep the body submerged and undiscovered. Then he stole $400 from her bank account, using her ATM card. If the fall execution is carried out, Benge will be the first Butler County killer to be put to death since 1948, when Clifford Gayles was executed, Ohio prison records show. Benge was convicted of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and abuse of a corpse in 1993, just months after Gabbard was slain. Judge Michael Sage set Benge’s first execution date for Feb. 1, 1994. But that date came and went, along with three other dates, as Benge’s case worked its way through state and federal appeals. All have failed. Now Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper, who tried the case when he was an assistant prosecutor, vows to do all he can to prevent Benge from getting the clemency he has sought from the Ohio Parole Board, which will make a recommendation to Gov. Ted Strickland. “I’ll fight the clemency proceedings tooth and nail, and if anyone saw what he did to Judy, they would understand why,” Piper said. Gabbard, a divorced mother of two who had dated Benge, had been struck about a dozen times with the tire iron, causing severe gashes to her head and face. The two apparently had argued over Benge’s drug use. “One blow just about took off her ear…you could see where the octagonal lug-nut part of the tire iron caved in her skull,” Piper said. That brutality haunted Johnson. “All I could imagine was the fear that she was going through, the pain she was going through,” Johnson said. Gabbard had been supervisor of the dietary department at Mercy Hospital North, Johnson said, and was the second of nine children in Hamilton’s close-knit Whitlock family. “My family got together all the time. People used to say, ‘You guys just make up holidays, just to get together,’” said Johnson, who still lives in Butler County. “But things changed after my sister was killed…Your family was broken and you can’t put it back together.” Johnson remembers how she felt when she learned a jury had convicted Benge and recommended a death sentence. “I thought ‘My sister got justice,’” Johnson said, “even though justice will never be complete until he takes his last breath.” Since Benge’s conviction, the suffering has continued. Johnson said she can hardly recall any of the first eight years after her sister’s death. It’s all a foggy, depressed blur. In a phone interview, Johnson began to sob as she described how much she still misses her sister. “Our mom’s sick now, and she would’ve been the first one there to help her,” Johnson said. Piper said 17 years is a long time, but he knows of many death-penalty cases that have been drawn out longer. “These death penalty cases get so much review it’s almost impossible to see the sentence actually carried out…you don’t see very many that make it to the final point,” he said. “They ask for appeals and they appeal the denial of the appeal…they ask for some motion and they appeal the denial of the motion. It seems to go on forever sometimes.” The Benge case had few appealable issues, Piper said. “Because it was such an uncomplicated trial, it probably has moved faster through the system than other cases,” he said. Johnson said she and her family are grateful to Piper for working so diligently on the case and keeping them informed over the years. “He was there for our family,” Johnson said. “You can’t take that kind of pain away but he helped us quite a bit.” Piper said the family’s devastation struck him. “I worked with a family that literally had their hearts ripped out of their chest, walking around with gaping wounds in their chest from the loss of Judy Gabbard,” he said. “There was such destruction and havoc and despair and depression put into people’s lives…And then it’s up to me, the prosecutor, to seek justice.” When a prosecutor sees such cases, it becomes apparent that certain cases are appropriate for the death penalty “and this is one of those cases,” Piper said. Piper said he doesn’t wish any ill will to Benge’s family. “And it’s not about necessarily wishing any ill will to him, but the law must be carried out,” Piper said. “It needs to just be over.” To read more; news.cincinnati.com/article/20100219/NEWS0107/2200322/Sister+++I+ll+watch+your+last+breath+ |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Sept 7, 2010 22:12:36 GMT -5
Killer's mom: 'I need my son in my life' The family of a Butler County killer asked the state to spare his life Tuesday, while the prosecutor maintained Michael Benge keeps changing accounts of the murder to delay his execution, now set for Oct 6. Benge, 49, was convicted of beating Judith Gabbard, 38, to death in 1993 before tossing her body in the Great Miami River near Ohio 128 south of Hamilton, and stealing her bank card to feed his cocaine habit. His live-in girlfriend had kicked him out and badgered him about his drug habit. Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper told the Ohio Parole Board Tuesday that Benge has been changing his accounts of the murder for years, calling him a liar and a thief. "Judy also deserves justice,'' Piper said. The Parole Board plans to make a recommendation on life in prison or the death penalty to Gov. Ted Strickland on Sept. 15. Benge placed 35 pounds of concrete chunks atop her body to keep the body submerged and undiscovered, according to court records. He later stole $400 from Gabbard's bank account, using her ATM card, but initially told police two unknown black men beat and robbed the couple. If the execution is carried out, Benge will be the first Butler County killer to be put to death since 1948, when Clifford Gayles was executed. Benge's mother, Juanita Babb, testified Tuesday that two of her son's stepfathers abused him, but said he was supportive to her from prison while she cared for a spouse suffering from Alzheimer's disease. "I need my son in my life,'' Babb told parole board members. "I'm begging you to spare my son's life.'' Benge's two sisters and two grown children - both of whom have served in the U.S. military -- also asked the Parole Board to spare his life. They said their father has been instrumental in making them productive adults, writing to them regularly. And Benge's ex-wife, Peggy Ferneding, testified via videotape: "I feel very sorry for Judy's family, but I just don't think he should be executed.'' Benge's public defenders and spiritual adviser said that he had become a role model for other inmates, inspiring them to attend Bible class and make jewelry boxes and other artwork. But Piper and Assistant Ohio Attorney General Stephen Maher said Benge helped facilitate a riot on Death Row at Mansfield prison in 1997 when he persuaded a corrections officer to open a basketball cage while making hand signals to other inmates. Gabbard, a divorced mother of two, was struck at least a dozen times with the tire iron, causing severe gashes to her head and face. She was a supervisor of the dietary department at Mercy Hospital North, and the second of nine children in Hamilton's Whitlock family. news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20100907/NEWS010702/9080337/Killer-s-mom-I-need-my-son- |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Sept 15, 2010 18:14:29 GMT -5
Board rejects mercy for killer of girlfriend The Ohio Parole Board has recommended no mercy for a condemned killer who beat his girlfriend with a pipe, threw her in a river and stole $400 from her bank account. The nine-member board on Wednesday unanimously rejected the clemency request of Michael Benge of Butler County, who’s scheduled to die Oct. 6. The board’s decision now goes to Gov. Ted Strickland, who has the final say. Benge, 48, was sentenced to death for the 1993 killing of his girlfriend, Judith Gabbard, on the west side of the Miami River in Hamilton. The board said Benge received a fair trial and that the brutality of the crime outweighs factors raised in his defense, such as a relatively clean record in prison. www.journalgazette.net/article/20100915/NEWS11/100919687 |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Sept 15, 2010 18:16:32 GMT -5
Parole Board rejects clemency request Ohio should proceed with the execution of Butler County killer Michael Benge, a unanimous state Parole Board said Wednesday in its clemency report to Gov. Ted Strickland. The 9-0 recommendation, if accepted by Strickland, clears the way for Benge’s Oct. 6 execution by lethal injection. The Parole Board's report is available online. Benge, 49, was convicted in the Jan. 31, 1993, murder of Judith Gabbard, 38, of Hamilton near Ohio 128 along the Great Miami River. After arguing with his live-in girlfriend over his cocaine addiction, Benge beat Gabbard a dozen times with a tire iron and threw her body, weighted down with 35 pounds of concrete, into the river. He stole her bank ATM card and took $400 from her account, later telling police two black men beat and robbed the couple. In Wednesday’s report, the Parole Board said there is no question Gabbard was beaten because Benge wanted to get her bank card. Gabbard, a divorced mother of two, was a supervisor of the dietary department at Mercy Hospital North. Benge lied to investigators and the court, “and he continues to circumvent the system by telling partial truths to this Parole Board in order to convey remorse and responsibility,’’ the parole board wrote. The board told Strickland that Benge received a fair trial. Benge’s family support and limited prison rule infractions do not outweigh the brutality of the crime, the report concluded. Benge’s execution – the eighth this year -- would set an annual record for the total number of executions in Ohio since capital punishment resumed in 1999. The most modern-day executions in one year was seven in 2004. In a televised debate Tuesday night, Strickland and his Republican opponent, John Kasich, restated their support for the death penalty. Strickland said he personally spends hours reviewing clemency reports to make sure no innocent person is executed. Kasich said he would be just as deliberate in his review of death-penalty cases, even by consulting with Strickland. news.cincinnati.com/article/20100915/NEWS010701/309150014/Benge-s-clemency-request-rejected |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Sept 15, 2010 18:18:07 GMT -5
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Sept 21, 2010 10:14:19 GMT -5
Family may never know truth about woman’s death Michael Benge, a Hamilton man scheduled to be executed next month, has told multiple accounts of the death of his estranged girlfriend, Judy Gabbard. Kathy Johnson, Gabbard’s sister, and Butler County prosecutors doubt any version is the actual truth, including a new spin he told the Ohio Parole Board recently during his clemency hearing. During questioning by police and at trial, Benge told several versions of what happened during the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 1993, including two men in a Bronco robbed and then beat Gabbard. Another was that Gabbard started a fight when he asked for her ATM card and she tried to run him down, resulting in him swinging in self-defense. Benge told the parole board Aug. 26 via video conference that he was going to tell the truth, offering an apology for the pain he had caused his family and Gabbard’s family. Benge said on Feb. 1, 1993, he had taken Gabbard’s ATM card while they were in a bar. The couple argued over his crack cocaine use and decided to drive to the river and talk things out. While at the river, slaps were exchanged and Benge said he hit her seven to 10 times with a tire iron after she got out of the car. He then dragged her body to the water, weighed her down with a rock and put her in the river, according to his statement. Gabbard was found in the river with a 35-pound block of cement on her head and chest. A tire iron was discovered in the river about 15 feet from her body. Benge later turned up at a friend’s house soaking wet. When police caught up with him, he still had Gabbard’s ATM card. Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper said none of Benge’s versions stand up to the evidence. “He also doesn’t demonstrate emotion,” Piper said. “He knows the words to use, but he has never demonstrated he is sorry.” Piper said the jury’s verdict from 17 years ago needs to be carried out. “In my mind, Judy is not resting, because there still has not been justice for Judy,” he said. The parole board’s report recommended executive clemency not be granted because Benge lied to investigators and the court and continues to circumvent the system by telling partial truths to the board to convey remorse and responsibility. Benge’s children, now adults, spoke on their father’s behalf. Michael Benge, who was 7 when the elder Benge went to prison, said his father still has a lot to offer, even if he spends the rest of his life in prison. Jennifer Prillo and Randall Porter of the Ohio Public Defender’s Office presented arguments on Benge’s behalf, stating he suffers from a brain impairment that is a result of his extensive drug use and the physical abuse he suffered during his childhood. Others said Benge has made something of his life while in prison, getting his GED and becoming active in church groups. Johnson said that means nothing to her, but she said she does feel sorry for his children. “They were wonderful children. My sister loved them,” she said. Johnson wipes away tears while watching a video tribute to her sister. The video features photos of Gabbard with her large family. It was presented by the family to the parole board. “What he did to my sister was the cruelest thing,” Johnson said. “I truly believe he is heartless, never going to tell the truth.” Johnson said she will be present to witness Benge’s execution. “I think it will be some closure and comfort, knowing that after all these years, there will be justice,” she said. “Knowing once he takes his last breath, justice will be done.” Now, only Gov. Ted Strickland can grant Benge clemency. More;www.middletownjournal.com/news/crime/family-may-never-know-truth-about-womans-death-932879.html |
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Post by guest on Oct 1, 2010 17:11:15 GMT -5
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 5, 2010 11:26:47 GMT -5
Ohio man who killed girlfriend denied clemency An Ohio man who bludgeoned his girlfriend to death, threw her body in a river and stole her ATM card to feed his crack addiction has been denied clemency a day ahead of his scheduled execution. Gov. Ted Strickland opted not to spare 49-year-old Michael Benge (behnj) of Hamilton, Ohio, who was convicted in the 1993 murder of Judith Gabbard. Benge's lethal injection Wednesday will break the state's record of the most people executed in a year since Ohio resumed executions in 1999. He has no more legal appeals.
To read more or comment;www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-man-who-killed-girlfriend-denied-clemency-965237.html |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 5, 2010 11:32:11 GMT -5
Killer's death could be historic If Michael Benge is lethally injected as scheduled on Wednesday, Ohio will have executed the most prisoners in one year since 1949. Sixty-one years ago, 15 men were put to death in the state's electric chair, which is no longer used. In the modern era - since the state resumed capital punishment in 1999 - the most executions in one year, until this year, was seven in 2004. The pace of executions has picked up in the past two years in Ohio. Another is scheduled for Nov. 16 (Sidney Cornwell of Mahoning County). Gov. Ted Strickland granted clemency in two other death-penalty cases. More executions are scheduled early next year. In addition, the Ohio public defender's office says an additional 20 or so death-penalty cases are close to exhausting all appeals, meaning that execution dates could be set in the near future.
To read more;www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/10/05/copy/killers-death-could-be-historic.html?adsec=politics&sid=101 |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 5, 2010 12:44:35 GMT -5
Governor's Statement Regarding Parole Board Recommendation Concerning Michael Benge Ohio Governor Ted Strickland today issued the following statement regarding the Ohio Parole Board's recommendation against executive clemency for Michael Benge: "As a result of his conviction for aggravated murder, Mr. Michael Benge is scheduled to be executed on October 6, 2010 at 10 a.m. I have completed a review of the circumstances surrounding his case to determine if executive clemency is warranted." "In conducting this evaluation, my staff and I reviewed the record of proceedings and the evidence presented in Mr. Benge's case, the judicial decisions regarding Mr. Benge's conviction, and arguments presented for and against clemency at the Parole Board hearing, as well as all supplemental material submitted to my office following the Parole Board hearing regarding Mr. Benge's application for executive clemency. We have also reviewed institutional records, letters, the exhibits and testimony presented at the Parole Board hearing and the unanimous recommendation against clemency forwarded to me by the Ohio Parole Board on September 15, 2010." "Based on this review, I concur with the Parole Board recommendation on this matter." governor.ohio.gov/Default.aspx?tabid=1800 |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 5, 2010 20:50:19 GMT -5
Ohio man who killed lover over ATM card set to die tomorrow Michael Benge’s lethal injection Wednesday would break the state’s record of the most people executed in a year since Ohio resumed capital punishment in 1999. The Ohio Parole Board recommended against mercy for the 49-year-old Benge of Hamilton in southwest Ohio in the 1993 murder of Judith Gabbard. A spokeswoman for the public defender’s office said Benge has no more legal appeals. Benge has been moved to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, prisons spokeswoman Julie Walburn said. For his last meal, he has requested a large chef salad with chopped ham, turkey and bacon bits, bleu cheese and ranch dressing, barbecue baby back ribs, two cans of salted cashews and two bottles of iced tea. To read article;chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/10/05/ohio-man-who-killed-lover-over-atm-card-set-to-die-tomorrow/ |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 5, 2010 21:03:43 GMT -5
Ohio man who killed lover over ATM card set to die In seeking mercy, his lawyers said Benge was physically abused by a stepfather and stepbrother and began abusing substances when he was 11 — first alcohol, then marijuana, and eventually cocaine. They said he has a brain impairment as a result. His mother, Juanita Babb, told the parole board she failed to provide her son love and affection and didn't do enough to protect him from abuse. She said she felt responsible for some of his problems. His former wife, Peggy Ferneding, his two children, and two sisters all said the violence was uncharacteristic of Benge before he began using crack. They described him as an active member of the family who helped advise his children to pursue careers in the military and cared for his mother.
To read entire article;www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/ohio-man-who-killed-lover-over-atm-card-set-to-die-965237.html?showComments=true |
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 6, 2010 9:58:53 GMT -5
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Post by thinkinkmesa on Oct 6, 2010 14:34:56 GMT -5
Butler County man executed Michael Benge glanced at members of his victim’s family watching from a windowed room, then at his attorney and a prison chaplain, the two witnesses he chose for his execution Wednesday at the Death House at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility. Strapped to the lethal injection table, Benge spoke with a clear voice into a microphone to begin his final statement at 10:13 a.m. He first praised God, then acknowledged the pain he has caused the family of his victim. “I can’t apologize enough. I hope my death gives you closure,” he said. “Praise God, and thanks.” Shortly after, in an adjoining room, Benge’s unseen executioner released the five grams of thiopental sodium into his veins that would kill him. Benge, 49, of Hamilton, was the eighth person executed in Ohio this year, setting an annual record for the number of executions by the state since it resumed capital punishment in 1999. Since then, 41 people have been executed. Sidney Cornwell of Mahoning County is the last scheduled execution this year, on Nov. 16. Benge murdered his girlfriend, Judith Gabbard, 38, on the shore of the Great Miami River in Hamilton on Feb. 1, 1993, when he bludgeoned her to death with a tire iron, dumped her body into the river and stole her ATM card to buy crack cocaine and snacks. At his clemency interview in August, Benge told Parole Board members that he accepted full responsibility for his actions. He said he had brought guilt and shame upon himself, and stated that his family and Gabbard’s family deserved to know what happened that night. The two spent the evening at Riverview Bar, Benge said. At some point in the evening, Gabbard left her jacket unattended and Benge took her ATM card. They left the bar after midnight and argued over Benge’s drug use. They stopped at the river to discuss the issue. When Gabbard stopped the car, she reached into her coat pocket for cigarettes and discovered her ATM card was missing. She demanded it back, Benge refused, and she slapped him. He became enraged and slapped Gabbard, then pushed her when she exited the car, causing her to fall to her knees. He followed her out of the driver’s side and beat her with a tire iron, striking her head seven to 10 times, and weighted her body down in the river with a rock. He later used the ATM card to make two withdrawals of $200. When police apprehended Benge a day after the murder, he was in possession of Gabbard’s ATM card, which he dropped to the ground. He initially told police that two black men robbed the couple and beat Gabbard to death as he swam across the river. Then, he admitted to police that he killed Gabbard, but said he did so after she tried to run him over with her car. Benge used that version when he testified in his own defense at his trial. For his customary special meal on Tuesday, Benge requested a large chef salad with chopped ham, turkey and bacon bits; a slab of barbecue baby back ribs; two cans of Planters salted cashews; and two bottles of sweetened iced tea. Benge woke Wednesday at 4:13 a.m. to use the restroom and went back to sleep before getting up at 5:30 a.m., officials said. For breakfast, he selected French toast with syrup and butter, and two milks. He spent his early waking hours with his mother Juanita Babb, sister Barbara Reid, sister Vicky Rauf, son Michael Benge, daughter Tabitha Saunders and uncle William Chandler. The visits were described as very emotional. Babb took Benge’s personal possessions, except for his Bible, which he gave to his son. Benge declined a sedative. At 9:45 a.m., Warden Donald R. Morgan read the death warrant to Benge. Monitors in the witness viewing room flicked on at 10:02 a.m. Benge was splayed on a gurney as prison workers inserted shunts in his arms, which were taped to boards. Benge took the 17 steps into the death chamber and climbed onto the injection table at 10:13 a.m. The victim’s witnesses, Gabbard’s brother Frank Nistler, daughter Candy Gabbard and son Steve Gabbard watched impassively. At the conclusion of his final statement, Benge spoke quietly with Morgan and a prison guard until his eyes closed slowly at 10:17 a.m. His hands relaxed. He gulped several times and his chest heaved for a short period before his body ceased moving at 10:18 a.m. A worker checked Benge’s pulse with a stethoscope at 10:25 a.m. and heard something that compelled prison officials to take a second reading five minutes later. The curtain closed at 10:33 a.m., indicating that death had occurred. A coroner behind the curtain confirmed that Benge was dead. When the curtain reopened, Morgan was facing the gallery. “Time of death, 10:34 a.m.,” he said. While imprisoned at Mansfield Correctional Institution, Benge worked as a barber, material handler and porter. After his transfer to the Ohio State Penitentiary, his work assignments included library aide and porter. He earned a GED in 2001 and participated in community service projects while incarcerated, and actively participated in religious services. He was disciplined four times during his 17 years in the prison system. He was involved in a prisoner uprising in 1997 at Mansfield, where officials determined he set up a corrections officer to be overpowered by other inmates in the death row unit. The other offenses involved the improper use of property, disobedience and possession of contraband. Benge, born Aug. 7, 1961, said he starting drinking alcohol at age 11, smoked marijuana at 13 and began using Quaaludes shortly after that. He began using cocaine in 1989, and crack cocaine a few months prior to murdering Gabbard. His public defenders said Benge suffered from brain impairment due to his extensive drug use at an early age and physical abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of stepfathers. His sisters confirmed that he and they were abused, prison records show. A psychologist said Benge had a cognitive disorder that made it difficult for him to control his behavior when confronted with stress. Kathy Johnson, Gabbard’s sister, spoke after Benge was dead and said her family has been waiting for the execution for 17 years. She thanked all who helped her family, in particular Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper, who as an assistant county prosecutor tried Benge’s case. Johnson didn’t believe Benge was sorry. “I don’t really feel like Mike Benge was ever remorseful,” Johnson said. “I don’t think anything he ever said was true, and I truly do not believe he was sorry for what he did.” Of the execution, she said, “It makes us feel that there was justice for my sister, and that’s what this was all about." “It has just been too long, and now my sister can rest in peace.” news.cincinnati.com/article/20101006/NEWS010702/310060048/Butler-County-man-executed |
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