Ohio Law

Alton Coleman, suspected of a half-dozen murders in a six-state crime spree, was sentenced to death Monday for the fatal beating of a woman. Coleman, 29, was convicted last week of the murder of Marlene Walters, 44, of suburban Norwood and the severe beating of her husband. The jury rejected claims by Coleman and his companion, Debra Brown, 22, both of Waukegan, Ill., that she was responsible for Walters' death. Brown faces sentencing May 14. Common Pleas Judge Richard Niehaus set a Sept.

A woman convicted of forgery who believes she was imprisoned to prevent her from having an abortion said she has decided to carry the pregnancy to term. Yuriko Kawaguchi, 21, is close to the deadline under Ohio law for having an abortion. Her attorney, Linda Rocker, said she plans to sue Cuyahoga County Judge Patricia Cleary. Rocker said Cleary violated Kawaguchi's right to have an abortion by sentencing her to six months in prison when most forgers would receive probation.

A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to life in prison for the mutilation slaying of a 5-year-old girl he was baby-sitting. Billy Joe Shafer, who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, received the maximum sentence for the slaying of Sara Christine West. Under Ohio law, defendants under age 18 cannot be sentenced to death. He could become eligible for parole in 17 years. The victim's father, Kevin West, lunged at Shafer as he was being taken to jail in Zanesville, Ohio. "Life isn't enough.

A federal judge in Toledo denied a request by third-party presidential candidates who wanted to force a recount of Ohio ballots before the official count was finished. Judge James G. Carr ruled that the candidates have a right under Ohio law to a recount, but said it could wait. The judge wrote that he saw no reason to interfere with the final stages of Ohio's electoral process. Officials have said the results will be certified by Dec. 6.

A federal appeals court sharply narrowed the authority of states and Congress to ban abortions late in pregnancy, ruling that such bans must allow women to end pregnancies to avoid serious mental or physical health risks. In the first such decision on appeal, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati struck down a 1995 Ohio law that bars doctors from using an abortion method that has sparked vehement opposition--the "dilation and extraction" procedure.

A 16-year-old's request that he be ruled an adult so he can gain access to part of the $1 million he won in a radio station contest has been denied by a judge who decided the boy is not "emancipated." Hamilton County Juvenile Court Judge John O'Connor ruled Tuesday that John Grundy must wait until he is 18 to have access to the money he won in December, 1984. "Ohio law states a person can be emancipated one of three ways--by getting married, joining the military or being on your own for a year.

A 15-year-old boy convicted of killing Indianapolis Colt defensive end Shane Curry was sentenced Friday to at least 18 years in prison, the maximum term under Ohio law. Hamilton County prosecutors said Artise Anderson showed no remorse for having shot Curry, 24, at the wheel of his pickup truck in the parking lot of a Cincinnati nightclub May 3. Anderson admitted to the shooting, but said he was scared and his gun went off accidentally.

A state appeals court overturned the disorderly conduct convictions of three members of the group NWA for asking women in a concert audience if they wanted to have sex with rapper Eric (Eazy-E) Wright. The court Wednesday said there was no evidence the group's behavior at the 1989 show recklessly inconvenienced, annoyed or alarmed anyone--the standard under Ohio law. All five members of NWA had been charged. Lorenzo (M.C.

Cincinnati must be one sleepy hamlet come summertime. While crime continued unabated in other big cities, Cincinnati cops and prosecutors kept themselves busy last month poring over records of telephone calls made by and to Wall Street Journal reporter Alecia Swasy. Swasy's alleged offense? In June she reported on personnel and organizational changes in the offing at Cincinnati's corporate giant Procter & Gamble. That's hardly unusual fodder for a reporter.

The tragic carnage and panic that unfolded this week outside Zanesville, Ohio, after a man set free the 56 wild animals he kept on his property were clearly extraordinary events set in motion by a deeply troubled person who later killed himself. But the fact that Terry Thompson — who had been convicted of animal cruelty in 2005 — was even allowed to own lions, tigers and wolves, among other dangerous animals, spotlights the disturbing inadequacy of Ohio law on the issue. Two years ago, the Humane Society of the U.S. singled out Ohio along with Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina and Oklahoma for having the fewest restrictions on keeping wild animals as pets.