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The '''murder of Krista Lea Harrison''' occurred on July 17, 1982, in [[Marshallville, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Hone-McMahan|first=Kim|title=New family takes in broken child.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144145718.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629075653/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144145718.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2014|accessdate=May 15, 2014|newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal|date=April 6, 2006}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The case remained unsolved for two years, until [[Robert Anthony Buell]] was convicted of her murder in 1984.<ref name=Prosecutor /> In the year 2000, Harrison's case appeared on the [[Forensic Files (season 5)|fifth season]] of the American television show ''[[Forensic Files]]'' in an episode titled "Material Evidence."<ref>{{cite web|title=Forensic Files Episode Guide|url=http://answar7979.50megs.com/Episodeguide.htm|publisher=50megs.com|accessdate=May 18, 2012}}</ref>
The '''murder of Krista Lea Harrison''' occurred on July 17, 1982, in [[Marshallville, Ohio]], United States.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hone-McMahan|first=Kim|title=New family takes in broken child.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144145718.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629075653/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-144145718.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 29, 2014|accessdate=May 15, 2014|newspaper=Akron Beacon Journal|date=April 6, 2006}}{{subscription required}}</ref> The case remained unsolved for two years, until [[Robert Anthony Buell]] was convicted of her murder in 1984.<ref name=Prosecutor /> In 2000, Harrison's case appeared on the [[Forensic Files season 5|fifth season]] of the American television show ''[[Forensic Files]]'' in an episode titled "Material Evidence."<ref>{{cite web|title=Forensic Files Episode Guide|url=http://answar7979.50megs.com/Episodeguide.htm|publisher=50megs.com|accessdate=May 18, 2012}}</ref>


== Abduction and murder ==
== Abduction and murder ==
[[File:Buell Sketch.jpg|left|thumb|Police sketches of the suspect at the time of Krista Harrison's abduction.]]
[[File:Buell Sketch.jpg|left|thumb|Police sketches of the suspect at the time of Krista Harrison's abduction.]]


Eleven-year-old Krista Harrison<ref name=files>Monahan, Richard, dir. "Material Evidence." ''[[Forensic Files]]''. [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]], [[TruTV]]. October 31, 2000. Television.</ref><ref name=Renner>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=Krista Harrison|url=http://jamesrenner.wordpress.com/tag/krista-harrison/|publisher=Wordpress.com|accessdate=May 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20121210063624/http://jamesrenner.wordpress.com/tag/krista-harrison/|archivedate=December 10, 2012}}</ref> had been picking up aluminum cans in the Marshallville park with one of her friends. The park was about {{convert|100|yd|abbr=on}} from her home. It was reported by her friend that a man between 25 and 35 with shoulder-length hair drove up to Harrison in his van and forced her into the vehicle and drove away. Harrison's companion described the abductor's van to have been a brown or dark red color that had round windows on the sides, near the rear.<ref name=files /> After she was kidnapped, volunteers searched for her body across Marshallville to no avail. It was initially believed that the man would demand ransom for Krista's return, yet no contact was made.<ref name=vid>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=The Final Word on the Tragic Death of Krista Harrison|website=[[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elfIzMihEsU|accessdate=March 17, 2014|date=November 4, 2011}}</ref>
Eleven-year-old Krista Harrison<ref name=files>Monahan, Richard, dir. "Material Evidence." ''[[Forensic Files]]''. [[TLC (TV network)|TLC]], [[TruTV]]. October 31, 2000. Television.</ref><ref name=Renner>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=Krista Harrison|url=http://jamesrenner.wordpress.com/tag/krista-harrison/|publisher=Wordpress.com|accessdate=May 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20121210063624/http://jamesrenner.wordpress.com/tag/krista-harrison/|archivedate=December 10, 2012}}</ref> had been picking up aluminum cans in the Marshallville park with one of her friends. The park was about {{convert|100|yd|abbr=on}} from her home. It was reported by her friend that a man between 25 and 35 with shoulder-length hair drove up to Harrison in his van, forced her into the vehicle and drove away. Harrison's companion described the abductor's van to have been a brown or dark red color with round windows on the sides, near the rear.<ref name=files /> After she was kidnapped, volunteers searched for her body across Marshallville to no avail. It was initially believed that the man would demand ransom for Krista's return, yet no contact was made.<ref name=vid>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=The Final Word on the Tragic Death of Krista Harrison|website=[[YouTube]]|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elfIzMihEsU|accessdate=March 17, 2014|date=November 4, 2011}}</ref>


It was not until six days later that her remains, which were in an advanced stage of decomposition, were discovered in the weeds, a few feet off the side of a scarcely traveled road in adjacent [[Holmes County, Ohio]]. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted with a vibrator and a large plastic bag had been wrapped around her legs. Because of the condition of her remains, police were not able to identify the body until Harrison's father Gerald confirmed that it was his daughter. A [[Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser]] towel, a bloody car seat box, a wad of Harrison's hair, gloves, a plaid shirt and jeans were all found in the vicinity of the dump site.<ref name=Prosecutor /><ref name=files /><ref name=Appeal>{{cite web|title=Robert Anthony Buell Appeal|url=http://www.michbar.org/opinions/us_appeals/2001/120401/13136.html|publisher=Michbar.org|accessdate=May 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020624124511/http://www.michbar.org/opinions/us_appeals/2001/120401/13136.html|archivedate=June 24, 2002}}</ref> Examination of the remains indicated that the body was subjected to high temperatures, which was likely a consequence of her body remaining inside of the vehicle for a long period of time during summer weather.<ref name=files/> Harrison was buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Marshallville.
Six days later her remains, which were in an advanced stage of decomposition, were discovered in the weeds to the side of a scarcely traveled road in adjacent [[Holmes County, Ohio|Holmes County]]. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted with a vibrator and a large plastic bag had been wrapped around her legs. Because of the condition of her remains, police were not able to identify the body until Harrison's father Gerald confirmed that it was his daughter. A [[Budweiser]] towel, a bloody car seat box, a wad of Harrison's hair, gloves, a plaid shirt and jeans were all found in the vicinity of the dump site.<ref name=Prosecutor /><ref name=files /><ref name=Appeal>{{cite web|title=Robert Anthony Buell Appeal|url=http://www.michbar.org/opinions/us_appeals/2001/120401/13136.html|publisher=Michbar.org|accessdate=May 18, 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020624124511/http://www.michbar.org/opinions/us_appeals/2001/120401/13136.html|archivedate=June 24, 2002}}</ref> Examination of the remains indicated that the body was subjected to high temperatures, which was likely a consequence of her body remaining inside of the vehicle for a long time during summer weather.<ref name=files/> Harrison was buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Marshallville.


==Investigation==
==Investigation==
Nutmeg or orange-colored polyester fibers were found on Harrison’s body and the [[towel]] near the scene. After they were examined under a [[microscope]], investigators concluded that they were of trilobal shape and were likely from some type of carpet. Similar fibers were found on the body of [[Murder of Tina Harmon|Tina Harmon]], a 12-year-old girl who was raped and murdered eight months earlier. A man had already been convicted on circumstantial evidence in her death and was incarcerated when Harrison was abducted. Authorities then began to consider that both girls were victims of the same person, as they were both sexually violated, strangled, and killed in the same county. The two also had the same sort of fibers on their remains, further linking the crimes.<ref name=files/>
Nutmeg or orange-colored polyester fibers were found on Harrison’s body and the towel near the scene. After examinig them under a microscope, investigators concluded that they were likely from some type of carpet. Similar fibers had been found on the body of [[Murder of Tina Harmon|Tina Harmon]], a 12-year-old girl who was raped and murdered eight months earlier. A man had already been convicted on circumstantial evidence in her death and was incarcerated when Harrison was abducted. Authorities then began to consider that both girls were victims of the same person, as they were both sexually violated, strangled, and killed in the same county. The similar fibers on their remains further linked the crimes.<ref name=files/>


The bag found wrapped around the lower half of Harrison's body was unique, as it had distinct folding patterns and thickness that occurred during the manufacturing process. The bag was traced to a factory in [[Pioneer, Ohio]]. Such bags were used for packaging a type of car seat, which was black in color.<ref name=files/> These seats, sold through [[Sears]], were only available for a brief amount of time through mailing. The box containing Harrison's blood belonged to the same type of car seat. Sales records of the seats were subsequently examined from the store, to search for any Ohio resident who might have purchased the seats. Twenty-three people in northern Ohio had purchased this type of car seat, but none owned a van that matched the one used during the abduction.<ref name=files/>
The bag found wrapped around the lower half of Harrison's body was unique and was traced to a factory in [[Pioneer, Ohio]]. Such bags were used for packaging a type of car seat, which was black in color.<ref name=files/> These seats, sold through [[Sears]], were only available briefly through mailing. The box containing Harrison's blood belonged to the same type of car seat. Examination of sales records showed that 23 people in northern Ohio had purchased this type of car seat, but none owned a van that matched the one used during the abduction.<ref name=files/>


== Capture and trial of Robert Buell ==
== Capture and trial of Robert Buell ==
{{quotebox|width=30%|align=left|quote="Jerry and Shirley, I didn't kill your daughter. The prosecutor knows that ... and they left the real killer out there on the streets to kill again and again and again." --Robert Anthony Buell's final words in 2002.<ref name=Disciple>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Cleveland Scene]]|last=Renner, James|title=The Serial Killer's Disciple|url=https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/ghosts-of-wayne-county/Content?oid=1534518}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=Finding Amy's Killer|url=http://amymihaljevic.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html|accessdate=February 24, 2014|archive-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308164536/http://amymihaljevic.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
{{quotebox|width=30%|align=left|quote="Jerry and Shirley, I didn't kill your daughter. The prosecutor knows that ... and they left the real killer out there on the streets to kill again and again and again." --Robert Anthony Buell's final words in 2002.<ref name=Disciple>{{cite news|newspaper=[[Cleveland Scene]]|last=Renner, James|title=The Serial Killer's Disciple|url=https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/ghosts-of-wayne-county/Content?oid=1534518}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=Finding Amy's Killer|url=http://amymihaljevic.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html|accessdate=February 24, 2014|archive-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308164536/http://amymihaljevic.blogspot.com/2011_10_01_archive.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}
After Harrison's body was found, a $10,000 reward was placed for information about the abductor, which showed composite sketches of the perpetrator. No one was arrested until a year later.<ref name=files/> In 1983, 43-year-old [[Robert Anthony Buell]], employed by the state of Ohio, kidnapped a 28-year-old woman while she was working as a manager at an Ohio gas station in [[Damascus, Ohio]].<ref name=files /> The woman's head was shaved, she was shocked with a severed electrical cord, beaten and was bound to Buell's bed and raped. She was able to escape, twelve hours later, fearing for her life, and ran to a nearby house and notified police after her attacker had left to go to work.<ref name=Prosecutor>{{cite web|last=Clark Prosecutor.org|title=Robert Anthony Buell|url=http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/buell801.htm|accessdate=May 18, 2012}}</ref><ref name=files /> Such a man had previously preyed on Ohio women, who were usually in their late twenties to forties.<ref name=files/>
After Harrison's body was found, a $10,000 reward was placed for information about the abductor, which showed composite sketches of the perpetrator. No one was arrested until a year later.<ref name=files/> In 1983, 43-year-old [[Robert Anthony Buell]], employed by the state of Ohio, kidnapped a 28-year-old woman who was working as a manager at a gas station in [[Damascus, Ohio]].<ref name=files /> The woman's head was shaved, she was shocked with a severed electrical cord, beaten and was bound to Buell's bed and raped. She was able to escape, twelve hours later, fearing for her life, and ran to a nearby house and notified police after her attacker had left to go to work.<ref name=Prosecutor>{{cite web|last=Clark Prosecutor.org|title=Robert Anthony Buell|url=http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/buell801.htm|accessdate=May 18, 2012}}</ref><ref name=files /> Such a man had previously preyed on Ohio women, who were usually in their late twenties to forties.<ref name=files/>


[[File:Robert Anthony Buell.jpg|thumb|Robert Anthony Buell in 2001]]
[[File:Robert Anthony Buell.jpg|thumb|Robert Anthony Buell in 2001]]


Police then compared the orange carpet fibers found on Harrison's body to the ones in Buell's van, which was the same color as the one seen in 1982. The rear-view windows were of a different shape, although it was later revealed that they had been replaced. It was later concluded that the fibers on Harrison's body and the carpet in the van were a likely match and records from Sears indicated that Buell had purchased the same type of car seat that was once contained in the bag and box used to conceal the body. Paint found on the jeans near the dump site matched that on the outside of Buell's residence as well. The jeans themselves were similar to other pairs that he owned. Spray paint in his garage was also matched to some that was present on the box.<ref name=files /> A fingerprint on plastic concealing Harrison's body did not match Buell’s fingerprints.<ref name=Ghosts>{{cite news|last=Renner|first=James|title=Ghosts Of Wayne County Doubts Haunt An Old Murder And The Execution That Followed|url=http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/ghosts-of-wayne-county/Content?oid=1534518|accessdate=February 24, 2014|newspaper=Cleveland Scene|date=December 30, 2008}}</ref>
Police then compared the orange carpet fibers found on Harrison's body to the ones in Buell's van, which was the same color as the one seen in 1982. The rear-view windows were a different shape, although it was later revealed that they had been replaced. It was later concluded that the fibers on Harrison's body and the carpet in the van were a likely match and records from Sears indicated that Buell had purchased the same type of car seat that was once contained in the bag and box used to conceal the body. Paint found on the jeans near the dump site matched that on the outside of Buell's residence as well. The jeans themselves were similar to other pairs that he owned. Spray paint in his garage was also matched to some that was present on the box.<ref name=files /> A fingerprint on plastic concealing Harrison's body did not match Buell’s fingerprints.<ref name=Ghosts>{{cite news|last=Renner|first=James|title=Ghosts Of Wayne County Doubts Haunt An Old Murder And The Execution That Followed|url=http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/ghosts-of-wayne-county/Content?oid=1534518|accessdate=February 24, 2014|newspaper=Cleveland Scene|date=December 30, 2008}}</ref>


Buell pleaded no contest to the abduction and rape of the adult victim, yet he denied any involvement with Krista's murder. He was found guilty after being tried and sentenced to death in 1984; he was executed by lethal injection in 2002.<ref name= Prosecutor /> He denied involvement and was never charged with the death of Tina Harmon, although dog hairs belonging to the remains of one found buried at his residence matched.
Buell pleaded [[Nolo contendere|no contest]] to the abduction and rape of the adult victim, but denied any involvement with Harrison's murder. He was found guilty after being tried and sentenced to death in 1984; he was executed by [[lethal injection]] in 2002.<ref name= Prosecutor /> He denied involvement and was never charged with the death of Tina Harmon, although dog hairs belonging to the remains of one found buried at his residence matched. In 2010, DNA from the crime scene of Tina's murder was compared to Buell's and found to be a match, therefore indicating that he was involved in her rape and, most likely, her murder.<ref name=vid /><ref name=Disciple/><ref>{{cite web |title=ExecutedToday.com » 2002: Robert Anthony Buell |date=September 24, 2019 |url=http://www.executedtoday.com/2019/09/24/2002-robert-anthony-buell/ |accessdate=24 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Case>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=Case Closed!|url=http://www.clevelandindependent.com/2010/03/26/case-closed-2/|publisher=IndeOnline.com|accessdate=May 31, 2012|date=March 26, 2010}}</ref> Another victim who was murdered in 1983, Deborah Kaye Smith, 10, had wax on her body that was from the same kind of candles that Buell owned. Her body was found over a month after her death, abandoned at the side of the [[Tuscarawas River]].<ref name=wants/>
In 2010, DNA from the crime scene of Tina's murder was compared to Buell's and found to be a match, therefore indicating that he was involved in her rape and most likely, her murder.<ref name=vid /><ref name=Disciple/><ref>{{cite web |title=ExecutedToday.com » 2002: Robert Anthony Buell |date=September 24, 2019 |url=http://www.executedtoday.com/2019/09/24/2002-robert-anthony-buell/ |accessdate=24 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Case>{{cite web|last=Renner|first=James|title=Case Closed!|url=http://www.clevelandindependent.com/2010/03/26/case-closed-2/|publisher=IndeOnline.com|accessdate=May 31, 2012|date=March 26, 2010}}</ref> Another victim who was murdered in 1983, Deborah Kaye Smith, 10, had wax on her body that was from the same kind of candles that Buell owned. Her body was found over a month after her death, abandoned at the side of the [[Tuscarawas River]].<ref name=wants/>


Former journalist for the ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' magazine, [[James Renner]], has written through several of his works that Buell's nephew, Ralph Ross Jr., may have played a role in the murders, if not having been fully responsible. He has also connected the cases to that of the unsolved murders of 13-year-old [[Murder of Barbara Barnes|Barbara Barnes]] and 10-year-old [[Murder of Amy Mihaljevic|Amy Mihaljevic]]. Similar fibers on the latter victim's body were found.<ref name=Renner /><ref name=wants>{{cite news|last1=Rink|first1=Matthew|title=Family of Tina Harmon, abducted and killed in 1981, wants police to reopen the case|url=http://www.indeonline.com/article/20081126/News/311269903|accessdate=August 5, 2014|agency=Indie Online|date=November 26, 2008}}</ref>
A former journalist for the ''[[Cleveland Scene]]'' magazine, [[James Renner]], has written in several of his works that Buell's nephew, Ralph Ross Jr., may have played a role in the murders, if not having been fully responsible. He has also connected the cases to that of the unsolved murders of 13-year-old [[Murder of Barbara Barnes|Barbara Barnes]] and 10-year-old [[Murder of Amy Mihaljevic|Amy Mihaljevic]]. Similar fibers on the latter victim's body were found.<ref name=Renner /><ref name=wants>{{cite news|last1=Rink|first1=Matthew|title=Family of Tina Harmon, abducted and killed in 1981, wants police to reopen the case|url=http://www.indeonline.com/article/20081126/News/311269903|accessdate=August 5, 2014|agency=Indie Online|date=November 26, 2008}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==

Latest revision as of 21:13, 8 July 2024

Krista Harrison
School portrait of Krista Harrison
Born
Krista Lea Harrison

(1971-05-28)May 28, 1971
Orrville, Ohio, United States
DiedJuly 17, 1982 (1982-07-18) (aged 11)
Marshallville, Ohio, United States
Cause of deathStrangulation
Body discoveredJuly 23, 1982
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipVereinigte Staaten
OccupationStudent
Known forMurder victim

The murder of Krista Lea Harrison occurred on July 17, 1982, in Marshallville, Ohio, United States.[1] The case remained unsolved for two years, until Robert Anthony Buell was convicted of her murder in 1984.[2] In 2000, Harrison's case appeared on the fifth season of the American television show Forensic Files in an episode titled "Material Evidence."[3]

Abduction and murder

[edit]
Police sketches of the suspect at the time of Krista Harrison's abduction.

Eleven-year-old Krista Harrison[4][5] had been picking up aluminum cans in the Marshallville park with one of her friends. The park was about 100 yd (91 m) from her home. It was reported by her friend that a man between 25 and 35 with shoulder-length hair drove up to Harrison in his van, forced her into the vehicle and drove away. Harrison's companion described the abductor's van to have been a brown or dark red color with round windows on the sides, near the rear.[4] After she was kidnapped, volunteers searched for her body across Marshallville to no avail. It was initially believed that the man would demand ransom for Krista's return, yet no contact was made.[6]

Six days later her remains, which were in an advanced stage of decomposition, were discovered in the weeds to the side of a scarcely traveled road in adjacent Holmes County. She had been strangled and sexually assaulted with a vibrator and a large plastic bag had been wrapped around her legs. Because of the condition of her remains, police were not able to identify the body until Harrison's father Gerald confirmed that it was his daughter. A Budweiser towel, a bloody car seat box, a wad of Harrison's hair, gloves, a plaid shirt and jeans were all found in the vicinity of the dump site.[2][4][7] Examination of the remains indicated that the body was subjected to high temperatures, which was likely a consequence of her body remaining inside of the vehicle for a long time during summer weather.[4] Harrison was buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Marshallville.

Investigation

[edit]

Nutmeg or orange-colored polyester fibers were found on Harrison’s body and the towel near the scene. After examinig them under a microscope, investigators concluded that they were likely from some type of carpet. Similar fibers had been found on the body of Tina Harmon, a 12-year-old girl who was raped and murdered eight months earlier. A man had already been convicted on circumstantial evidence in her death and was incarcerated when Harrison was abducted. Authorities then began to consider that both girls were victims of the same person, as they were both sexually violated, strangled, and killed in the same county. The similar fibers on their remains further linked the crimes.[4]

The bag found wrapped around the lower half of Harrison's body was unique and was traced to a factory in Pioneer, Ohio. Such bags were used for packaging a type of car seat, which was black in color.[4] These seats, sold through Sears, were only available briefly through mailing. The box containing Harrison's blood belonged to the same type of car seat. Examination of sales records showed that 23 people in northern Ohio had purchased this type of car seat, but none owned a van that matched the one used during the abduction.[4]

Capture and trial of Robert Buell

[edit]

"Jerry and Shirley, I didn't kill your daughter. The prosecutor knows that ... and they left the real killer out there on the streets to kill again and again and again." --Robert Anthony Buell's final words in 2002.[8][9]

After Harrison's body was found, a $10,000 reward was placed for information about the abductor, which showed composite sketches of the perpetrator. No one was arrested until a year later.[4] In 1983, 43-year-old Robert Anthony Buell, employed by the state of Ohio, kidnapped a 28-year-old woman who was working as a manager at a gas station in Damascus, Ohio.[4] The woman's head was shaved, she was shocked with a severed electrical cord, beaten and was bound to Buell's bed and raped. She was able to escape, twelve hours later, fearing for her life, and ran to a nearby house and notified police after her attacker had left to go to work.[2][4] Such a man had previously preyed on Ohio women, who were usually in their late twenties to forties.[4]

Robert Anthony Buell in 2001

Police then compared the orange carpet fibers found on Harrison's body to the ones in Buell's van, which was the same color as the one seen in 1982. The rear-view windows were a different shape, although it was later revealed that they had been replaced. It was later concluded that the fibers on Harrison's body and the carpet in the van were a likely match and records from Sears indicated that Buell had purchased the same type of car seat that was once contained in the bag and box used to conceal the body. Paint found on the jeans near the dump site matched that on the outside of Buell's residence as well. The jeans themselves were similar to other pairs that he owned. Spray paint in his garage was also matched to some that was present on the box.[4] A fingerprint on plastic concealing Harrison's body did not match Buell’s fingerprints.[10]

Buell pleaded no contest to the abduction and rape of the adult victim, but denied any involvement with Harrison's murder. He was found guilty after being tried and sentenced to death in 1984; he was executed by lethal injection in 2002.[2] He denied involvement and was never charged with the death of Tina Harmon, although dog hairs belonging to the remains of one found buried at his residence matched. In 2010, DNA from the crime scene of Tina's murder was compared to Buell's and found to be a match, therefore indicating that he was involved in her rape and, most likely, her murder.[6][8][11][12] Another victim who was murdered in 1983, Deborah Kaye Smith, 10, had wax on her body that was from the same kind of candles that Buell owned. Her body was found over a month after her death, abandoned at the side of the Tuscarawas River.[13]

A former journalist for the Cleveland Scene magazine, James Renner, has written in several of his works that Buell's nephew, Ralph Ross Jr., may have played a role in the murders, if not having been fully responsible. He has also connected the cases to that of the unsolved murders of 13-year-old Barbara Barnes and 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic. Similar fibers on the latter victim's body were found.[5][13]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hone-McMahan, Kim (April 6, 2006). "New family takes in broken child". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on June 29, 2014. Retrieved May 15, 2014.(subscription required)
  2. ^ a b c d Clark Prosecutor.org. "Robert Anthony Buell". Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  3. ^ "Forensic Files Episode Guide". 50megs.com. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Monahan, Richard, dir. "Material Evidence." Forensic Files. TLC, TruTV. October 31, 2000. Television.
  5. ^ a b Renner, James. "Krista Harrison". Wordpress.com. Archived from the original on December 10, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Renner, James (November 4, 2011). "The Final Word on the Tragic Death of Krista Harrison". YouTube. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  7. ^ "Robert Anthony Buell Appeal". Michbar.org. Archived from the original on June 24, 2002. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Renner, James. "The Serial Killer's Disciple". Cleveland Scene.
  9. ^ Renner, James. "Finding Amy's Killer". Archived from the original on March 8, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  10. ^ Renner, James (December 30, 2008). "Ghosts Of Wayne County Doubts Haunt An Old Murder And The Execution That Followed". Cleveland Scene. Retrieved February 24, 2014.
  11. ^ "ExecutedToday.com » 2002: Robert Anthony Buell". September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  12. ^ Renner, James (March 26, 2010). "Case Closed!". IndeOnline.com. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  13. ^ a b Rink, Matthew (November 26, 2008). "Family of Tina Harmon, abducted and killed in 1981, wants police to reopen the case". Indie Online. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
[edit]
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