A man who murdered and dismembered a couple in 1982 was put to death yesterday, marking the third execution in 2004 in the state of Ohio.
A three-judge panel convicted William Wickline, 52, in 1985 for the murders of Christopher and Peggy Ann Lerch.
Wickline, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, decapitated Christopher Lerch and strangled Peggy Ann Lerch, both of Blendon Township, after a dispute over $6000. He dismembered both bodies and placed various parts in garbage bags, but no remains were ever found.
Teresa Kemp, Wickline’s former girlfriend, assisted Wickline in the murder of Peggy Ann Lerch, but because she provided crucial details of the incident, she was not prosecuted.
Wickline denied the charges, saying Kemp made up the story.
“May tomorrow see the courts shaped by more wisdom and less politics,” Wickline said before his execution yesterday at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.
While sitting on death row for 19 years, Wickline exhausted all of his state and federal appeals.
“There’s two levels of appeals. There’s the state, which takes five to 10 years (to complete), and federal, which takes another five years,” said Andrea Dean, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. “But the law changed about five years ago. There’s not as many appeals anymore.”
The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Wickline’s final appeal Monday, and Gov. Bob Taft denied Wickline’s clemency request March 24.
“Mr. Wickline is guilty of the brutal murder and dismemberment of Christopher and Peggy Lerch, and the aggravating circumstances of his crimes outweigh any mitigating factors that he presented,” Taft said in a statement. “(He) has failed to accept responsibility or express any remorse for these terrible crimes.”
Wickline requested an eight-ounce filet mignon – cooked medium-rare – old-fashioned potato salad, six rolls and butter, fresh strawberries and shortcake and butter-pecan ice cream for his “special meal” Monday, Dean said. She said Wickline’s mood was positive leading up to his death.
Stephen Vrabel, 47, may be next to face the death penalty in Ohio, since he stepped forward and waived his remaining appeals March 17.
“Vrabel gave a written note to defense attorneys,” said Kim Norris, spokeswoman for Attorney General Jim Petro’s office, who is acting as a special prosecutor in the case. “He’s basically saying, ‘Please let this proceed.'”
Vrabel was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder in 1994. He shot his common-law wife, Susan Clemente, and his daughter, Lisa, in 1989.
“He committed a horrendous crime,” Norris said. “He never disputed that he killed (them).”
Vrabel, of Mahoning County, confessed to police about one month after the incident, citing alcohol as the cause for shooting Susan Clemente. In his confession, he said he shot his daughter because he didn’t want her to be alone – with her mother dead and him in prison.
Since Vrabel waived his remaining appeals, his defense attorneys have asked for two mental competency tests, Norris said.
“Both (tests) came back competent,” she said. “Experts have agreed that (Vrabel) understands fully the consequences of his actions.”
The Ohio Supreme Court has not set an execution date yet, Dean said. Vrabel will be the second “volunteer” since the death penalty was reinstated in 1999.
The next scheduled execution is set for April 27. Gregory Lott, of Mahoning County, was convicted of aggravated murder in 1987. Attempts to reach Greg Myers, Lott’s defense attorney, were unsuccessful.
