Michael Beuke

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Michael Beuke

ohiodeathrow.blogspot.com/2009/05/michael-beuke.html

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'Homicidal Hitchhiker' Gets Clemency Hearing

The Hamilton County man known as the “Homicidal Hitchhiker” is getting a chance for clemency.

Michael Beuke, 48, was convicted in the 1983 death of Robert Craig after a series of men said he attacked and shot them after they picked him up hitchhiking. At least two men survived and testified against him.

Beuke was sentenced to death and lives on death row. The Ohio Parole Board will hear his plea for clemency Monday at 10 a.m. in Columbus.

www.kypost.com/content/wcposhared/story/Homicidal-Hitchhiker-Gets-Clemency-Hearing/7mX4VtXiO0engk6gQma1Ng.cspx

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Judges upset with Beuke's 27 years on Death Row; want killer executed

Roger Craig picked up hitchhikers to discuss religion with them.

His kindness was rewarded 27 years ago—June 1, 1983—by a hitchhiker who shot him to death for the thrill of killing.

Michael Beuke, dubbed "the Mad Hitchhiker," was convicted of murder—and trying to kill two others—and sentenced to death.

• Photos: Beuke in 1983

Friday is Beuke's 9,656th day on Ohio's Death Row, an address he wants changed.

That's almost twice as long as the average Death Row stay of 14.5 years. He seeks clemency so his life can be spared before his scheduled May 13 execution date.

But the Hamilton County judge who sentenced him to death and the prosecutor who won the death sentence object.

"He needs to be executed," Common Pleas Court Judge Norbert Nadel said Thursday.

Nadel wrote to the Ohio Adult Parole Authority on Thursday asking the sentence be imposed. "Michael Beuke is an unremorseful cold-blooded killer whose execution is long past due," he wrote.

Robert Ruehlman was a prosecutor on the case in 1983. Today, he's a Common Pleas Court judge.

"It's just unbelievable to me that a guy can be on Death Row for 26½ years," Ruehlman said. "What's the purpose of the death penalty then?"

Beuke was 21 and lived on Flower Avenue in West Price Hill in the spring of 1983. He measured homes to determine how many yards of carpet each customer needed. In that job, he worked with Michael Cahill who would provide the gun Beuke used in the shootings and who also was a key prosecution witness who helped police capture the murderer.

Gregory Wahoff was driving his maroon 1967 GTO from Colerain Township to Butler County the morning of May 14, 1983, when he picked up a hitchhiker. He would be Beuke's first victim.

Once inside the car, Beuke pulled a .38-caliber handgun and ordered Wahoff to drive to Clermont County, telling him to stop for gas on the way.

Beuke ordered Wahoff to drive to a wooded area. They got out of the car. Wahoff, sensing he was going to be killed, ran at Beuke who sidestepped him and shot. Wahoff was shot in the back, the bullet lodging against his spine, leaving him paralyzed for life. Beuke shot Wahoff in the head, believing he'd killed him, and drove off.

Three weeks later, on June 1, 1983, Craig picked up hitchhiker Beuke, perhaps hoping to talk about God. Instead, Craig was killed.

Beuke pulled a gun on Craig, who was delivering fresh fish to Madeira. The car was driven to Clermont County where Beuke shot Craig twice in the head and once in the torso, killing him. Craig's body had $265 on it when found.

"He didn't want to steal anything. He just wanted to kill," Ruehlman said.

Two days after that, Bruce Graham was driving south on I-71 when he saw a man walking along the road in the rain carrying a gas can. He stopped to give the man a ride.

Beuke ordered Graham to drive to Indiana where he shot Graham.

"He had the whole community pretty scared," Ruehlman said.

Beuke was arrested June 29 as he walked in North College Hill because Cahill, the co-worker who supplied the gun used in all three shootings, led police to him.

Both surviving victims identified Beuke. His fingerprints were found on Wahoff's and Craig's cars. The gun that fired the fatal bullets was on Beuke when he was arrested.

Beuke, now 48, is inmate A176-178. His case was in the federal appeals court for 12 years, from Jan. 12, 1996, until Aug. 13, 2008. His execution is set for May 13.

Authorities point to his case as a classic example of an abuse of victims' rights. "Justice has been denied to the victims for 26½ years," Ruehlman said. "This is a man that if anybody should get (executed), it's him."

Beuke's clemency hearing is 10 a.m. April 12 in Columbus.

After that, the Parole Board will make a recommendation to Gov. Ted Strickland who could do nothing or commute Beuke's sentence to less than death.

news.cincinnati.com/article/20100401/NEWS0107/4020344/Judges+want+killer+executed

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The Ohio Parole Board is considering clemency for a Hamilton County man who murdered another man in 1983.

Michael Beuke is currently scheduled to be executed on May 13 for the aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and kidnapping of Robert Craig. Beuke was also convicted of the attempted murder, kidnapping and aggravated robbery of two other victims.

Beuke would pose as a hitchhiker, then order his victims to a predetermined location and shoot them.

Beuke was sentenced to death in October of 1983.

In a letter to the Ohio Parole Board, Hamilton County Judge Norbert Nadal said Beuke should not receive clemency.

"The proven facts and circumstances reveal a pattern of absolute willful, cold-blooded disregard for human life and values far beyond this court has ever seen in any other case," Judge Nadal wrote in the letter.

Nadal also wrote that Beuke showed no remorse for what happened and his execution is "long past due."

The Ohio Parole Board will hold a hearing on April 12 in Columbus.
www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=12248466

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Local Judge Fights Death Row Inmate's Clemency Request

A local judge has written a letter to the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, urging officials to deny a death row inmate's request for clemency.

In 1983, Michael Beuke, who later became known as "The Mad Hitchhiker," was convicted of murdering Roger Craig. Hamilton County Judge Norbert Nadel heard the case, and sentenced Beuke to death.

But 27 years later, Beuke is still on death row, and now he's hoping the state will spare his life.

But Judge Nadel isn't having it: "Michael Beuke is a cold-blooded, calculating killer whose execution is long past due. He's unremorseful, never showed any remorse during the trial, and I feel that 27 years is just too long to be sitting on death row."

The average stay for a death row inmate is just over 14 years, and in this case, Judge Nadel says it makes the justice system look "impotent."
www.kypost.com/content/wcposhared/story/Local-Judge-Fights-Death-Row-Inmates-Clemency/BorXY-oCf0CcHrV81Nn_Jg.cspx

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Backers of condemned Ohio man seeking mercy say convicted killer is a remorseful, changed man

An Ohio death row inmate scheduled to die next month for fatally shooting a man while hitchhiking is asking Gov. Ted Strickland for mercy, saying he's a changed person.

Lawyers and friends of condemned prisoner Michael Beuke (BYOO'-kee) told the Ohio Parole Board Monday that Beuke is deeply remorseful over his crime and has devoted his life to helping other inmates.

Federal public defender Kenneth Murray told the board that Beuke has worked hard to change his life in prison and has grown spiritually during that time.

The 48-year-old Beuke was sentenced to die for the 1983 murder of Robert Craig, a driver he shot while hitchhiking in southwest Ohio.

Beuke was also convicted of attempted murder for shooting two other men who also picked up Beuke but survived the attacks.
www.fox59.com/news/sns-ap-oh--deathpenalty-clemency,0,1085681.story

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Condemned killer Beuke seeks mercy

Michael Beuke is a changed man after 27 years on Death Row, his defense lawyers said Monday.

That’s why the 48-year-old convicted killer who grew up on West Price Hill should be spared from his May 13 execution and spend the rest of his life in prison, they said.

The widows of two of Beuke’s shooting victims beg to differ.

Susan Craig of Delhi Township told the Ohio Parole Board that she doesn’t care that Beuke may be a reformed man. That should only make it easier for him to meet his maker, she said.

Her husband, Robert Craig, was shot to death by Beuke on June 1, 1983, along Interstate 275.

“If Michael Beuke has changed, I think that’s wonderful. I truly do,” Craig said. “He was given a chance to change, where Bob never got a chance. … (Beuke) should be ready to meet his maker. He’s finally realized his day of reckoning has finally come. I think he’s grasping for what he can. The minute he’s put to death, he will be with his maker.”

• Photos: Beuke in 1983
• Killer's letter to Gov. Strickland (PDF)

Craig said she called her husband the day he was murdered to tell him “the cool news” that they got a duplex her father was helping them buy. She was pregnant with their third child, Roberts Samuel Craig Jr., born about three months after the murder.

When she called, her husband had already left to deliver fish and picked up Beuke, nicknamed “the mad hitchhiker” in news reports during the shooting spree.

Beuke left Joann Wahoff with a 13-month-old son and paralyzed husband.

“A gun does not accidentally go off,” Wahoff, of Bright, Ind., said about the shooting that left her husband, Gregory, paralyzed on May 14, 1983.

Wahoff was shot in the back and head and left for dead.

“He would have to lay in a bed and flop like a fish to get dressed,” Wahoff said Monday.

After the family’s breadwinner became an invalid, the Wahoffs ended up losing their home, she said. Her husband died four years ago.

Wahoff said she suspects Beuke’s religious experience is just a ploy to get clemency and said that everybody in prison changes and finds religion.

Bruce P. Graham of Rising Sun, Ind., was the third man shot by Beuke after picking him up along Interstate 71. Graham said he favors clemency. In a written statement, Graham said he recently met with Beuke and believes his life should be spared.

“I do not think one more life taken at this point would solve anything. I would feel better if Michael’s life was spared,” Graham wrote. “He could continue to work to help others and be an asset both inside and outside the prison.”

Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Ron Springman called Beuke cunning, manipulative and controlling.

Springman said Beuke was raised by a religious family, and clergy were shocked when they learned about the killings. If eventually granted parole, Springman said, clergy may be shocked again by repeat behavior.

Craig and Wahoff said they fear for their families if Gov. Ted Strickland grants clemency and gives Beuke life in prison, and possibly parole.

“If he was paroled, I could never live in peace again,” Craig said.

A smile came to Craig’s face when she mentioned her two grandchildren. She thought of Robert as a grandfather and paused. He would have liked that, she said as tears streamed down her face.

“It’s been a long, long road,” Craig said. “I feel like I’ve come the whole circle. I’m really weary and it’s been a long, long road. … I lost my best friend and I still miss him.”

Defense lawyers and longtime friends of the condemned killer said Beuke is deeply remorseful over his crime and has devoted his life to helping other Death Row inmates. Testimony from several clergy indicated Beuke was deeply spiritual and religious and prays daily with tears and sincerity. He learned to play the keyboard and plays during prison chapel services every week. They said Beuke makes creative greeting cards and writes beautiful heartfelt letters.

Federal public defender Kenneth F. Murray told the board that Beuke has worked hard to change his life in prison and has grown spiritually during that time. The defense played a video featuring Sister Alice Gerdeman of Ohioans to Stop Executions and various priests and prison chaplains who have counseled Beuke on Death Row. It also featured two Cincinnati-area couples who have grown close to Beuke over the years: Leland and Maryanne Schneider of Cincinnati and Betty and Paul Mossey of Greenhills, who asked the Ohio Parole Board to spare Beuke’s life.

The parole board’s report is due to Strickland on April 21. The seven-member parole board asked a half dozen questions Monday, but didn’t indicate where it stood.
news.cincinnati.com/article/20100412/NEWS01/4130312/Condemned+killer+seeks+mercy

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Killer's letter to Gov. Strickland (PDF)

www.enquirer.com/editions/2010/04/12/Beuke%20statement%20to%20Govr.pdf

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chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/04/21/hitchhiker-who-shot-driver-denied-clemency-execution-next-month/

The Ohio Parole Board has denied a request for mercy from a death row inmate who fatally shot a man while hitchhiking almost three decades ago.

The board ruled unanimously Wednesday against clemency for condemned killer Michael Beuke, who is scheduled to die next month.

The board said the seriousness of the crimes outweighed Beuke’s positive behavior and religious conversion in prison.

Lawyers and friends of Beuke told the parole board that he is deeply remorseful over his crime and has devoted his life to helping other inmates.

The 48-year-old Beuke was sentenced to die for the 1983 murder of Robert Craig, a driver he shot while hitchhiking in southwest Ohio.

Craig’s widow had pleaded with the board to deny clemency.

[thinkinkmesa]

Survivor wants condemned killer spared

Bruce Graham was driving to Cincinnati one day in June 1983 when he stopped to pick up a hitchhiker carrying a red gas can. The traveler, Michael Beuke, pulled out a gun, ordered Graham to drive him to a secluded area, then shot him as soon as Graham stopped the car.

Almost three decades later, as Beuke faces execution next month for a related fatal shooting, Graham has forgiven his attacker and wants him spared.

"I do not think one more life taken at this point would solve anything," Graham said in a letter to the Ohio Parole Board earlier this month.

It's rare, but not unheard of, for family members of murder victims to ask for mercy for condemned killers. Graham's is a more unusual gesture, in part because few victims of condemned inmates survive to make such requests.

Graham said he came to his conclusion after meeting Beuke face-to-face in prison last month.

"I wanted to know if he was reformed and had been rehabilitated," Graham said in his letter. "After meeting him and seeing him in person, I could tell he was sincere in his apology."

Relatives of Beuke's other victims aren't so forgiving. Susan Craig, whose husband, Robert, was shot and killed by Beuke June 1, 1983, said he took away her best friend.

"Michael Beuke should not be granted clemency," she told the parole board. "He should never be allowed to walk with people again."

Gregory Wahoff, who also survived an attack by Beuke but was seriously wounded, spent the rest of his life mostly paralyzed and in a wheelchair. He died in 2006 at age 51. His widow, JoAnn Walhoff, told the board Beuke shouldn't be spared.

The board ruled unanimously against mercy for Beuke, saying the brutality of his crimes outweighed his personal and spiritual growth behind bars.

Graham, of Rising Sun, Ind., has an unlisted phone number and did not respond to a letter seeking comment.

Several Roman Catholic ministers and other prison volunteers say Beuke is a changed man who has become a model prisoner and is extremely remorseful for his crimes.

Gov. Ted Strickland has the final say for Beuke, who is scheduled to die May 13.

In Florida, SueZann Bosler fought against the death sentence that James Campbell received for stabbing to death her father, the Rev. Billy Bosler, in 1986. Campbell also stabbed SueZann Bosler five times but she survived by playing dead. Campbell's death sentence was overturned and he's now serving life in prison.

Bosler, 47, knew her father was opposed to capital punishment and had once told her if he were murdered he wouldn't want a death sentence for his killer.

Though she fought for his release from death row, Bosler said it took several years to truly feel she forgave Campbell. She felt unexpected freedom when she did.

"I was finally letting myself live life again after that moment," said Bosler, of Hollywood, Fla.

Many family members of murder victims forgive perpetrators to let go of their anger and move on with their lives, said Beth Wood, executive director of Washington, D.C.-based Murder Victims' Families for Reconciliation.

That doesn't always mean they oppose a death sentence, since people differ over how to hold perpetrators accountable, Wood said.

For people like Graham and Bosler, "What distinguishes them is they don't understand how the death penalty is going to fulfill any of their needs," Wood said.

In Indiana in the 1980s, Bill Pelke led successful efforts to spare Paula Cooper, sentenced to die for stabbing Pelke's grandmother to death in her Gary home in 1985.

In Illinois, sisters of murder victim Nancy Bishop Langert pushed to abolish the death penalty. In Texas, relatives of Andrew Lastrapes Jr. unsuccessfully opposed the 2004 execution of his killer, Dominique Green.

In Ohio in 2002, family members of Emily Murray, a Kenyon College student shot by a pizza shop co-worker, asked unsuccessfully that her killer receive a life sentence to spare the family further pain.

In 2009, Strickland spared Jeffrey Hill, who robbed and killed his mother in a cocaine-induced rage, after Hill's relatives pleaded for mercy.

More;
www.newarkadvocate.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20104300318

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Dead End - A reporter's struggle with Capital Punishment

hubpages.com/hub/Dead-End-A-reporters-struggle-with-Capital-Punishment

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Condemned Ohio inmate claims lethal drug tolerance

A condemned Ohio inmate facing execution this week says his tolerance to a lethal injection drug could lead to a painful execution that would deprive him of his constitutional rights.

Michael Beuke, scheduled to die Thursday for fatally shooting a man while hitchhiking almost three decades ago, made his claim in a last-minute court filing Friday.

In his motion, Beuke asked U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost to stop the execution because it could deny him the quick and painless death promised by Ohio law and could constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Constitution.

In the unusual legal maneuver, Beuke says a barbiturate he takes for a seizure disorder could limit the effectiveness of midazolam, the first drug called for in Ohio's backup execution method that injects drugs into muscles.

It's a twist on a similar argument made last month by another Ohio death row inmate who claimed he had an allergy to anesthesia that could affect his execution. The federal courts rejected Darryl Durr's claim and he was executed April 20.

Beuke says the tolerance to midazolam caused by his phenobarbitol prescription will slow the rate at which he falls asleep.

As a result, he will experience possible side effects of the painkiller hydromorphone, the second drug used in the backup method and meant to cause death, his attorneys argued in a court filing.

Those side effects could include nausea, vomiting, combativeness, anxiety, fear, disorientation and other emotions, which could also mean Beuke wouldn't understand what was happening to him, according to the filing.

"Beuke could be rendered incompetent to comprehend or understand what is transpiring or why it is transpiring, and he will remain in this state for many minutes," the filing said.

Ohio adopted the backup method last year when it switched to a single dose of a powerful anesthetic as its primary execution method. The backup method has never been used, meaning there is no precedent in other executions for the type of problems Beuke alleges could occur.

Messages were left with the attorney general's office, which based on similar last-minute filings is expected to oppose Beuke's request.

Beuke, 48, was sentenced to die for the 1983 murder of Robert Craig, a driver he shot while hitchhiking in southwest Ohio.

Beuke has asked Gov. Ted Strickland to spare him, saying he's remorseful and has changed his life around in prison. The state parole board voted unanimously last month against granting Beuke mercy.
More;
www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/condemned-ohio-inmate-claims-lethal-drug-tolerance-696082.html

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chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2010/05/10/state-argues-against-condemned-mans-drug-tolerance-claim/

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Attorneys Say Condemned Inmate Has Brain Damage

A condemned Ohio inmate facing execution for a murder in the Tri-State this week has presented new information about alleged brain damage that could explain his criminal acts.

Attorneys for death row prisoner Michael Beuke, scheduled to die Thursday, delivered a letter and a report on the findings to Gov. Ted Strickland on Monday.

The report includes results of brain scans done April 27 and conclusions by experts that Beuke suffers from moderate to severe brain damage due to a childhood fall combined with early use of drugs and alcohol.

The Ohio Parole Board last month rejected Beuke's request for mercy and called the brain damage argument insufficient.

The 48-year-old Beuke was sentenced to die for the 1983 murder of Robert Craig, a driver he shot while hitchhiking in Cincinnati. Hamilton County Judge Norbert Nadel is among those pushing for Beuke's execution, saying he deserves no clemency.

www.local12.com/news/local/story/Attorneys-Say-Condemned-Inmate-Has-Brain-Damage/nrK0jbJDaEa5NH04VDvafg.cspx

www.wlwt.com/news/23504757/detail.html

www.examiner.com/a-2621430~Condemned_Ohio_inmate_offers_new_brain_damage_info.html

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Death Row inmate files new injection argument

An Ohio inmate facing execution this week says his tolerance to a lethal injection drug could lead to a painful execution that would deprive him of his constitutional rights.

Michael Beuke, 48, scheduled to die Thursday for fatally shooting a man while hitchhiking in 1983, made his claim in a court filing Friday.

Beuke asked U.S. District Judge Gregory Frost to stop the execution because it could deny him the quick and painless death promised by Ohio law and could constitute cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Constitution.

Beuke said a barbiturate he takes for a seizure disorder could limit the effectiveness of midazolam, the first drug called for in Ohio's backup execution method.

It's a twist on a similar argument made last month by another Ohio Death Row inmate who said he had an allergy to anesthesia. The federal courts rejected Darryl Durr's claim, and he was executed April 20.
More;
www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/10/copy/death-row-inmate-files-new-injection-argument.html?adsec=politics&sid=101

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Please participate in this action that Michael Beuke’s cousin asked us to help out with: Please help us by sending this message to Governor Strickland

Thank you,

Leo Beuke


e-mail to [e-mail]


Governor Strickland,

Please commute the sentence of Michael Beuke to life without parole.

He is truly repentant for the horrible acts he committed.

He has become an asset to other prisoners who need someone to talk to.

He holds bible study.

He has taken on the role of music Minister by playing his keyboard at Religious Services and the list goes on.

Ending his life can’t change anything he did but will end any good he is doing now.

Please commute his sentence to life without parole.

Respectfully
Your name

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ijpc-cincinnati.org/news/michael-beuke-execution

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State: Reject Ohio inmate's drug-tolerance claim

A condemned inmate waited too long to argue his tolerance to a lethal injection drug could complicate his execution and has little chance of winning the argument in court anyway, the state said Monday.

Michael Beuke, sentenced to die Thursday for killing a man he shot while hitchhiking in 1983, has offered no evidence beyond his own allegations that the tolerance he gained from medicine for a seizure disorder would affect his reaction to a drug used in Ohio's backup execution method, the attorney general's office said in a federal court filing.

The state criticized Beuke for first raising the issue only three days ago.

"Beuke has been taking anti-seizure medication for a long time, yet his attorneys chose not to raise the issue until a week before his date of execution," wrote Charles Wille, principal assistant attorney general.

Ohio last year switched to a single intravenous dose of anesthetic for executions. If that fails, its backup method, which has never been used, calls for the sedative midazolam to be injected into muscle, followed by the painkiller hydromorphone.

Beuke says the tolerance to midazolam caused by his phenobarbitol prescription will slow the rate at which he falls asleep.

As a result, Beuke says he will experience possible side effects of hydromorphone, which could include nausea, vomiting, combativeness, anxiety, fear, disorientation and other emotions.

The state rejected that argument, saying Beuke's own experts predict, at worst, a "prolonged period of intoxication" if the midazolam doesn't work as expected.

Even if Beuke's tolerance reduces the effectiveness of the backup drugs, "there is no evidence of a substantial likelihood that Beuke will experience severe pain," the state said.

Earlier Monday, Beuke also presented new information about alleged brain damage that could explain his criminal acts.

A report delivered to Gov. Ted Strickland includes results of brain scans done April 27 and conclusions by experts that Beuke suffers from moderate to severe brain damage due to a childhood fall combined with early use of drugs and alcohol.

The Ohio Parole Board last month rejected Beuke's request for mercy and called the brain damage argument insufficient, though the board had not seen the most recent findings.

Beuke, 48, was sentenced to die for the 1983 murder of Robert Craig, a driver he shot while hitchhiking in southwest Ohio.

Beuke has asked Strickland to spare him, saying he's remorseful and has turned his life around in prison.

More;
www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio-news/state-reject-ohio-inmates-drug-tolerance-claim-697574.html

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Judge denies Ohio inmate's drug-tolerance claim

A federal judge has rejected a condemned Ohio inmate's request to halt his execution because his tolerance to a lethal injection drug could complicate the procedure.

U.S. District Court Judge Gregory Frost said Tuesday that death row prisoner Michael Beuke hadn't provided enough evidence about the potential negative impact of the tolerance.

Beuke says a barbiturate he takes for a seizure disorder could interfere with a drug used in Ohio's backup execution method that injects drugs into muscles.

Beuke contends he could stay awake longer and hence experience serious side effects such as vomiting from a second drug used in the backup process.

The 48-year-old Beuke was sentenced to die for the 1983 murder of a driver he shot while hitchhiking in southwest Ohio.

More;
www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=12465791

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EXCLUSIVE: Survivor Forgives Death Row Inmate

www.wlwt.com/news/23535982/detail.html

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Governor Rejects Clemency For Hitchhiker Killer

Ohio's governor declines the so-called "mad hitchiker's" request to spare his life. This evening, the widow of the man Michael Beuke murdered in 1983 is on her way to watch him die. But before Beuke's executed, Susan Craig wants some answers. She's submitted a list of 15 questions to the condemned killer.

Local 12's Deborah Dixon talked with her today.

"I don't know where Bob picked him up at."

That's one question Susan Craig wants Michael Beuke to answer. Beuke posed as a hitchhiker, then shot the men who picked him up. Robert Craig died. Susan was pregnant with their third child at the time.

"I asked him, did you show gun right away? Things for years, I would like to know."

Susan Scoffs at Beuke's latest appeal. He claims a drug he takes for seizures could limit the effectiveness of the lethal injection drugs, causing side effects, such as anxiety and fear.

Susan Craig, Robert Craig's Widow: "He's whining it's going to hurt, you shot my husband three times, the last shot between the eyes."

A jury convicted Beuke in this courtroom in 1983. Judge Norbert Nadel sentenced him to die. He says it's an insult the sentence has not been carried out.

Judge Norbert Nadel, Hamilton County: "He brought this on himself. He's a hunter, slaughtered victims, destroyed families. That's what we should be thinking about, not his pain, he deserves it."

Susan Craig says if Beuke dies tomorrow, she can finally think about her husband, without having to think about his killer, too.

Beuke was also convicted of trying to kill another driver in Indiana. He is leaving the money he earned in prison to the families of his three victims. That amounts to 75 dollars after 27 years behind bars.

www.local12.com/news/local/story/Governor-Rejects-Clemency-For-Hitchhiker-Killer/V-qrOEcyC0OFZ_1z2qAKLw.cspx

[thinkinkmesa]

A man known as Ohio's "homicidal hitchhiker"
has arrived at the state death house a day ahead of his scheduled
execution.

Michael Beuke was transferred to the Southern Ohio
Correctional Facility in Lucasville Wednesday morning to a cell
about 15 steps from the death chamber.

The 48-year-old opted against an elaborate special meal,
as the last meal is called in Ohio, and planned to eat the normal
prison dinner of Chicken a la King, mashed potatoes and lima beans.

Beuke was sentenced to die for the murder of 27-year-old Robert
Craig, who was shot after he picked up Beuke in 1983.

Beuke is seeking clemency from Gov. Ted Strickland and has
appealed a federal court's rejection of his request for a stay of
execution.
www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/93603144.html

[thinkinkmesa]

Condemned 'homicidal hitchhiker' transferred to Lucasville today

Ohio's "homicidal hitchhiker" faces execution Thursday for the killing 27 years ago of a Cincinnati man who often offered rides to hitchhikers and whose last good deed cost him his life.

Michael Beuke, 48, is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the 1983 aggravated murder of Robert Craig, 27, of Cincinnati. He was convicted Oct. 5, 1983, for Craig's slaying and for attempting to kill another Ohio motorist and one from Indiana in the three-week shooting spree along Cincinnati-area roads.

Beuke pleaded not guilty but has since admitted his crimes, expressed remorse and is seeking clemency from Gov. Ted Strickland. He was transferred to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville on Wednesday morning to a cell about 15 steps from the death chamber.

Beuke opted against an elaborate special meal, as the last meal is called in Ohio, and planned to eat the normal prison dinner of chicken a la king, mashed potatoes and lima beans.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday was weighing Beuke's claim that prescription medicine he takes could interfere with a drug used in Ohio's backup execution method.

Beuke has said he committed the crimes because he needed $2,500 to hire an attorney to defend him on a drug trafficking charge and needed a stolen car to rob a bank for the money, said Stephen Maher, an assistant attorney general for Ohio.

Craig's body was found June 1, 1983, in a roadside ditch in nearby Clermont County. He had been shot twice in the head and once in the chest with a .38-caliber revolver - the same gun used to shoot Gregory Wahoff and Bruce Graham.

"It's been awful," said Craig's widow, Susan Craig, who was expecting their third child when her husband was killed. "I lost my best friend, and my youngest son never even had a chance to know his father."

Wahoff, 28, of Cincinnati, gave Beuke a ride the previous May 14 and was forced at gunpoint to drive to rural Hamilton County. Wahoff tried to run but was shot in the back and face and left for dead. He was paralyzed from the shooting and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He died four years ago.

Wahoff's widow is angry that Beuke has avoided execution so many years.

"Robert Craig was not given one day, and Greg wasn't given clemency from his wheelchair," said Joann Wahoff of Bright, Ind.

Graham, 34, of West Harrison, Ind., saw Beuke walking with a gas can and gave him a ride June 3, 1983. Beuke forced Graham to drive to a rural Indiana area and shot him, with a bullet grazing Graham's forehead and another striking his shoulder before he safely reached a nearby farmhouse.

Graham, now of Rising Sun, Ind., met with Beuke and has forgiven him. He asked the Ohio Parole Board to spare his life, writing that he believes Beuke "has reformed his life and his ways."

Beuke's clemency request said he accepts responsibility for his crimes and prays "that God will ease the pain I have caused my victims."

Beuke's attorneys and a retired Orthodox priest who visits Beuke say he is a "changed man" involved in religious and community service programs and has had a positive impact on other inmates.

"He is probably the most reformed prisoner I have met and certainly the most remorseful," said the Rev. Richard Rosenbaum, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Craig and Wahoff say remorse cannot change what Beuke did and he deserves to die.

Authorities were tipped to Beuke's identity by a co-worker who said Beuke told him he was the man wanted in the hitchhiker shootings. Authorities found a cup from Wahoff's car and other evidence in Beuke's vehicle. He was carrying the gun when he was arrested.

Beuke was indicted July 5, 1983, on one count of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, and other counts of aggravated robbery, kidnapping and carrying a concealed weapon. He didn't testify or present direct evidence in his defense.

Unsuccessful appeals included a claim that brain damage contributed to Beuke's violent behavior, and the Ohio Parole board said one reason it recommended against clemency was that arguments were "insufficient" to demonstrate that Beuke suffers such damage.

Federal public defenders delivered a letter Monday to Strickland saying recent brain scans and expert conclusions show Beuke suffers from moderate to severe brain damage.

www.dispatchpolitics.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/12/killer-lucasville.html?type=rss&cat=&sid=101

[thinkinkmesa]

Ohio's "homicidal hitchhiker" faces execution Thursday for the killing 27 years ago of a Cincinnati man who often offered rides to hitchhikers and whose last good deed cost him his life.

Michael Beuke, 48, is scheduled to die by lethal injection for the 1983 aggravated murder of Robert Craig, 27, of Cincinnati. He was convicted Oct. 5, 1983, for Craig's slaying and for attempting to kill another Ohio motorist and one from Indiana in the three-week shooting spree along Cincinnati-area roads.

• Photos: Michael Beuke in 1983

Beuke pleaded not guilty but has since admitted his crimes, expressed remorse and is seeking clemency from Gov. Ted Strickland. He was transferred to the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville on Wednesday morning to a cell about 15 steps from the death chamber.

Beuke opted against an elaborate special meal, as the last meal is called in Ohio, and planned to eat the normal prison dinner of chicken a la king, mashed potatoes and lima beans.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday was weighing Beuke's claim that prescription medicine he takes could interfere with a drug used in Ohio's backup execution method.

Beuke has said he committed the crimes because he needed $2,500 to hire an attorney to defend him on a drug trafficking charge and needed a stolen car to rob a bank for the money, said Stephen Maher, an assistant attorney general for Ohio.

Craig's body was found June 1, 1983, in a roadside ditch in nearby Clermont County. He had been shot twice in the head and once in the chest with a .38-caliber revolver — the same gun used to shoot Gregory Wahoff and Bruce Graham.

"It's been awful," said Craig's widow, Susan Craig, who was expecting their third child when her husband was killed. "I lost my best friend, and my youngest son never even had a chance to know his father."

Wahoff, 28, of Cincinnati, gave Beuke a ride the previous May 14 and was forced at gunpoint to drive to rural Hamilton County. Wahoff tried to run but was shot in the back and face and left for dead. He was paralyzed from the shooting and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. He died four years ago.

Wahoff's widow is angry that Beuke has avoided execution so many years.

"Robert Craig was not given one day, and Greg wasn't given clemency from his wheelchair," said Joann Wahoff of Bright, Ind.

Graham, 34, of West Harrison, Ind., saw Beuke walking with a gas can and gave him a ride June 3, 1983. Beuke forced Graham to drive to a rural Indiana area and shot him, with a bullet grazing Graham's forehead and another striking his shoulder before he safely reached a nearby farmhouse.

Graham, now of Rising Sun, Ind., met with Beuke and has forgiven him. He asked the Ohio Parole Board to spare his life, writing that he believes Beuke "has reformed his life and his ways."

Beuke's clemency request said he accepts responsibility for his crimes and prays "that God will ease the pain I have caused my victims."

Beuke's attorneys and a retired Orthodox priest who visits Beuke say he is a "changed man" involved in religious and community service programs and has had a positive impact on other inmates.

"He is probably the most reformed prisoner I have met and certainly the most remorseful," said the Rev. Richard Rosenbaum, of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Craig and Wahoff say remorse cannot change what Beuke did and he deserves to die.

Authorities were tipped to Beuke's identity by a co-worker who said Beuke told him he was the man wanted in the hitchhiker shootings. Authorities found a cup from Wahoff's car and other evidence in Beuke's vehicle. He was carrying the gun when he was arrested.

Beuke was indicted July 5, 1983, on one count of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, and other counts of aggravated robbery, kidnapping and carrying a concealed weapon. He didn't testify or present direct evidence in his defense.

Unsuccessful appeals included a claim that brain damage contributed to Beuke's violent behavior, and the Ohio Parole board said one reason it recommended against clemency was that arguments were "insufficient" to demonstrate that Beuke suffers such damage.

Federal public defenders delivered a letter Monday to Strickland saying recent brain scans and expert conclusions show Beuke suffers from moderate to severe brain damage.

More;
news.cincinnati.com/article/20100512/NEWS010702/305120007/Killer+faces+execution

[thinkinkmesa]

Ohio executes 'homicidal hitchhiker'

After playing the keyboard and crying in his cell, Michael Beuke -- the Hamilton County man known as the "homicidal hitchhiker" -- was executed today for a murder he committed nearly 27 years ago.

Beuke, 48, succumbed to the lethal injection drug at 10:53 a.m. at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility near Lucasville.

Before the chemicals flowed into his bloodstream, he spent 17 minutes reciting the Rosary. He also recited an early Christian creed and the Lord's Prayer as tears rolled down his left cheek.

Witnesses were shaking their heads before his repetitive statement was over, clearly impatient it went on so long.

He also apologized to the widows of his victims.

Once the drugs started flowing, Beuke became completely still within three minutes, and was pronounced dead seven or eight minutes later.

Among those who witnessed Beuke's execution were Susan Craig, the widow of murder victim Robert Craig, 27, and Dawn and Paul Wahoff, the children of Greg Wahoff, 28, another of Beuke's victims. Greg Wahoff was paralyzed and wheelchair-bound after he was shot in the face and back by Beuke, to whom he had given a ride.

Beuke's attorney, Dale Baich, a federal public defender from Arizona, filed numerous unsuccessful appeals in the past week. Baich was on the case because he originally represented Beuke when Baich was with the Ohio public defender's office.

One appeal alleged that Beuke had brain damage; another argued that a prescription medication he took might interfere with the drugs used in the backup, intramuscular lethal injection method.

The Ohio Supreme Court and the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Beuke's last-minute pleas. Gov. Ted Strickland also denied his clemency request yesterday.

Prison officials said Beuke was very emotional when he arrived at the prison yesterday morning and continued crying as he talked to his attorneys throughout the day. He did not ask for a special last meal, instead opting for the standard dinner: chicken a la king, mashed potatoes, lima beans and peaches. Prison officials allowed him to have the keyboard for his final day on Earth.

Craig picked up Beuke while he hitchhiked on I-275, Cincinnati's outerbelt, on June 1, 1983. Beuke used a .38-caliber revolver to shoot Craig in the head and chest, court records show. He dumped Craig's body in a roadside ditch and stole his car.

In addition to Craig and Wayhoff, Beuke also shot but did not kill Bruce Graham, 34, of West Harrison, In., after Graham picked him up hitchhiking in June 1983.

Prison officials were concerned in the past week that they might not be able to procure enough thiopental sodium, the single drug used in Ohio executions, because of a worldwide shortage. However, the state was able to find enough of the drug to kill Beuke.

He was the fifth Ohioan executed in five months this year and the 38th since capital punishment resumed in 1999. With an execution scheduled each month through November, the state is likely this year to eclipse the seven men executed in 2004, the modern record.


www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/05/13/execution-homicidal-hitchhiker.html?sid=101

[thinkinkmesa]

Ohio executes 'Mad Hitchhiker' ; 5th of year is most since 1949

The state of Ohio executed Michael Beuke today, making him the fifth convicted killer to die by lethal injection so far this year. Beuke is one of 11 convicted killers — one per month from January through November — who has either been executed or is scheduled for execution in Ohio in 2010. That’s by far the most executions in any one year in Ohio since 1949, when 15 men died in the electric chair.

What’s more, Ohio is on track to have far more executions this year than any other state except Texas, which has either carried out or scheduled 17 executions.

“Ohio coming in even a close second is very unusual,” said Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C. “Usually, it’s Texas (first) and nobody else comes close.”

Almost 27 years ago, Michael Beuke, the so-called Mad Hitchhiker of Hamilton County, pumped three bullets into the head and chest of Robert Craig, who had picked Beuke up along Interstate 275. Beuke left Craig’s body in the bushes and stole his car.

On two other occasions, Beuke shot other motorists who picked him up, but they survived.

Beuke, now 48, died by lethal injection at 10:53 a.m. for Craig’s murder at the state prison in Lucasville at 10 a.m. today, May 13. Craig’s widow, Susan, was among the witnesses.

Many of the 160 inmates on Ohio’s death row have simply run out of appeals, but there is a cap on the number of inmates Ohio will execute in a year. The Ohio Supreme Court said last year it would schedule executions at least three weeks apart to allow public defenders time to prepare clemency cases.

As the number of executions is spiking, the number of new death sentences is down, both in Ohio and nationally. Ohio had only one new sentence in 2009, according to the information center.

Dieter said the number of U.S. death sentences has dropped from about 300 in the late 1990s to about 110 in recent years, partly because juries in many states now have the option of recommending a life-without-parole sentence.

More;
www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/ohio-executes-mad-hitchhiker-5th-of-year-is-most-since-1949ohio-executes-mad-hitchhiker-5th-of-year-is-most-since-1949-703570.html

[thinkinkmesa]

Killer didn't go quietly, quickly
Strapped to table, man prays during his last 17 minutes

LUCASVILLE, Ohio For 17 minutes yesterday, condemned killer Michael Beuke held death at bay.

From 10:27 to 10:44 a.m., Beuke recited the rosary of the Roman Catholic Church while strapped to the lethal-injection table at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility near Lucasville. Warden Donald R. Morgan held a microphone inches from Beuke's face so witnesses in a nearby room could hear his last words.

Family members of two of his victims watched in silent frustration as Beuke, crying and clutching rosary beads in one hand, went through the five Glorious Mysteries, the Apostles' Creed, several accompanying prayers and " Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee..." repeated 53 times.

A Catholic priest sat nearby, silently saying the devotion along with Beuke.

After Beuke finished, Morgan gave a signal and the killing chemical, thiopental sodium, began flowing into Beuke's veins.

At 10:53 a.m., nine minutes after his final "Amen," Beuke was dead.

Beuke's "last words" were by far the longest uttered by any of the 38 killers executed since Ohio resumed capital punishment in February 1999. The previous longest final statement was nine minutes, by Vernon Smith on Jan. 7.

Prison officials said they had no inclination to stop Beuke. However, Greg Trout, staff attorney for the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said he will check state law for guidance on how to deal with such situations in the future.

Prison execution procedures say, "There will be no restriction on the content of the condemned prisoner's statement and no unreasonable restriction on the duration of the prisoner's last statement."

Beuke, 48, of Hamilton County, was executed for the June 1, 1983, abduction and slaying of Robert Craig, 27, who had picked up the hitchhiker while on I-275.

Susan Craig, the victim's widow, watched the execution from an observation room, separated by glass but less than 20 feet from Beuke.

"It was long," she said later. "But this was his last couple of minutes on Earth.

"I was pregnant at the time he was murdered," she said of her husband. "Now, we can talk about Bob and have happy memories and not talk about Michael Beuke.

Dawn Wahoff, daughter of Wayne Wahoff, who was paralyzed after Beuke shot him in the face and back, also was a witness, along with her brother, Paul.

"You're stalling," Dawn Wahoff said she thought when Beuke launched into his prayers.

In addition to Craig and Wahoff, Beuke shot and wounded Bruce Graham, 34, of West Harrison, Ind., after Graham picked him up hitchhiking in June 1983.

Beuke's attorney, Dale Baich, a federal public defender from Arizona, filed numerous unsuccessful appeals in the past week.

"The man who was executed today was not the same person who committed those crimes 27 years ago," Baich said. "His time in prison was a story of remorse and redemption."

Officials said Beuke was emotional from the time he arrived Wednesday morning. Prison logs show he cried frequently, took communion, participated in a cell-front Mass and played a keyboard he was allowed to bring with him from the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown.

He was the fifth Ohioan executed in five months this year and the 38th since capital punishment resumed in 1999.

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[thinkinkmesa]

Execution Brings Closure For Some, Pain For Others

After spending nearly 27 years on Ohio's death row, the local man dubbed the "Mad Hitchhiker" was executed Thursday at the state prison.

WCPO's Lance Barry served as a witness to the execution, and has more on the reaction from the victims' families, and what he saw in the execution chamber.

They were the last words Michael Beuke ever spoke on this earth, and boy did he ever speak. For 17 minutes he went on, a new state execution record that nearly double the previous mark of nine minutes.

It all began with apologies to the victims' families and then he continued on to scores of Catholic prayers, including reciting Hail Mary's repeatedly. Finally, as he clutched a set of rosary beads in his hand, the same hand his lethal injection was attached to, he drifted off to death. With tears coming from his eyes, he was officially pronounced dead at 10:53 a.m.

Since 1983, Beuke sat on the inside of prison fences looking out. That's 27 years too long according to the widow of one of his victims. She was joined by the families of Beuke's other two victims.

"June first, Bob will be dead as long as he was alive, how sad is that," said Susan Craig, Craig's widow. Robert Craig was Beuke's lone fatality, shot and killed after he picked him up on I-275 as he hitchhiked. Before Craig's death, Beuke shot and paralyzed Greg Wahoff on May 14, 1983. A third victim, Bruce Graham, was also shot by Beuke.

By Susan Craig's side in Lucasville, was her son Bobby. A grown man now, he never knew his father, killed before he was born. "It's pretty much surreal," said Bobby Craig. "It's like we went full circle, we closed the circle today," said Susan Craig.

It was on a gurney equipped with straps that Beuke, originally from West Price Hill, took his final breaths. After a single IV was attached, he put up no fight, calm like he had been during his entire one-day stay in Lucasville.

"While he's been here at the facility, he's been very emotional," said Julie Walburn, spokesperson with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

Outside the prison fences, a small group from Over-the-Rhine opposed to the death penalty gathered. "Killing someone does not give us peace, and killing someone does not lead to a violence free society," said Sister Alice Gerderman..

But her efforts would be in vain.

"Inmate Michael Beuke has been executed in accordance with the laws of the state of Ohio," said Walburn, minutes after the execution.

As is tradition, Beuke was given the chance for a special, final meal. But he declined it instead, asking that it be donated to a homeless person. That was a request the prison could not meet. So instead, his final meal was chicken a la king, the same meal given to the other inmates at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility.

More (including video);
www.wcpo.com/news/local/story/Execution-Brings-Closure-For-Some-Pain-For-Others/5JfbarIr-kiuzkrjn4r-2Q.cspx

[thinkinkmesa]

Bishop Reflects on Death Penalty Following Execution

It wasn't easy for Bishop R. Daniel Conlon to watch Michael Beuke lie strapped down on the gurney in the Lucasville death chamber last week.

"I was feeling a great sadness. A sadness for the tragic loss of life 27 years ago and the loss of life that day," said Conlon, bishop of the Steubenville Catholic Diocese.

Beuke was executed Thursday at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility at Lucasville for the 1983 murder of Robert Craig and the shooting of two other men during a three-week string of shootings in the Cincinnati area. He was labeled by the news media at the time as the "homicidal hitchhiker" after receiving rides from his three victims.

The Associated Press reported Beuke said he committed the crimes because he needed $2,500 to hire an attorney to defend him on a drug trafficking charge and needed a stolen car to rob a bank for the money. Last-minute appeals based on his 27 years on Ohio's death row and possible problems with the execution because of his prescription medication were rejected.

Conlon first met Beuke as a teenager in Cincinnati.

"Michael's father was very active on the Catholic scouting committee. Michael was in his mid teens when I met him. He attended Catholic schools in Cincinnati. But I really didn't know him," Conlon recalled. "Bishop George Murry of the Youngstown Diocese mentioned to me at a meeting that Michael Beuke had known me from before and desired a visit with me. We did have some correspondence after he was initially incarcerated, but I had lost contact with him over the years.

"Twenty-seven years is a long time. But once his execution date was set, I felt a pastoral obligation to visit with him. So I started visiting him while he was on death row in the Youngstown state prison," Conlon added. "A priest deals with lots of trying situations. We minister to people who are dying. But I was visiting with a perfectly healthy human being who had a fixed date with death. Neither of us could do anything about that except to prepare spiritually."

Conlon, along with Murry and two Cincinnati diocesan priests who knew Beuke's parents, traveled to Lucasville to serve as spiritual advisers to Beuke. The two bishops also served as witnesses to the execution at Beuke's request.

Beuke was pronounced dead at 10:53 a.m. after a 17-minute "final statement" that included a Catholic prayer.

While on the gurney in the death chamber, Beuke looked directly at Susan Craig, the widow of Robert Craig, and at the children of an intended victim and apologized for all three shootings. He then delivered the longest final statement on record in the state, according to the AP.

"Michael was actually praying the Rosary. He prayed from the Apostles' Creed through the Glorious Mysteries to the concluding prayer," Conlon said.

After witnessing Beuke's execution, Conlon said he remains opposed to the death penalty in Ohio.

"I am a Catholic and a Catholic priest, so I subscribe to the teachings of the Catholic Church. The church acknowledges the right of the state to punish people for their crimes, even punishment by death," observed Conlon. "But even that ultimate punishment can only be used as a last resort if the state feels it can't protect others. My sense is there are virtually no such situations existing in the state of Ohio. In accord with the teaching of our church, the death penalty should virtually never be imposed.

"As bishops, our role as teachers is to put forth the teachings of the church on this matter to our people. If we are speaking to elected officials on this matter or other moral issues, we do discuss the church's teaching," Conlon continued. "As far as I know, since I have been bishop there have been no legislative proposals in Ohio to modify the statutes pertaining to capital punishment ... we as bishops would be very active in supporting measures to end the death penalty."

Conlon also asserted that taking a life through capital punishment differs little from taking a life through a crime.

"Pope John Paul II talked about the dignity of life from conception to natural death. There are occasions when humans are tempted to take control by trying to create human life or denying it. Those are occasions when we are unwilling to stand humbly before God," Conlon said.

"What Michael did 27 years ago was to take the place of God by ending someone's life. Capital punishment, in effect, does the same thing."


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