251:, which held around 13,000 residents, Ohio judge Jeffrey Simmons briefly ruled out the death penalty in the trial due to Vinton County lacking enough money to guarantee McKnight a fair trial. The nevertheless proceeded on October 1, 2002. Despite the argument about the cost of a fair trial, McKnight still faced a death sentence if convicted. To convince the jury of McKnight's guilt, prosecutors collected items previously seized from his residence; a shovel, a brush cutter, an axe, and a hunting knife were compared to marks of Julious' bones, but the shovel was ruled out, and the other items were inconclusive. Due to uncertainty over how Julious was killed, prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty for his murder. They did seek the death penalty for Murray's murder since they knew he had shot her once in the head.
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oversaw the hearing and questioned the state's decision to not only charge McKnight with only kidnapping his white victim and not his black victim, given that the elements in
Julious's case were similar to the elements in Murray's case, but to also charge McKnight with kidnapping at all, given that
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On May 13, 2000, McKnight abducted 20-year-old
Gregory Julious, an acquaintance of his, and killed him. He then dismembered his body and hid it in his yard. Six months later, on October 11, McKnight and two acquaintances broke into a home and stole several firearms. On November 3, McKnight abducted
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At the end of the trial, after less than an hour of deliberating, McKnight was convicted of all charges: murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, receiving stolen property, and complicity. The jury sentenced him to death for the aggravated murder charge, life imprisonment for the
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During a hearing in 2005, McKnight's attorney, a state public defender named Robert Lowe, argued that there was racial bias in the state's decision to not charge McKnight with kidnapping
Julious, who was black. The justification the state gave for charging McKnight with kidnapping Murray, who was
243:
Kathryn McKnight was released from police custody once police ruled out her involvement in the homicides. Shortly before
Gregory McKnight's trial, three locals trespassed on his former property and reportedly stole a few items. The trespassers, Rosalee Jackson, Kenneth R. Jackson, and Jeffrey A.
230:
student Emily Murray, a co-worker of his at a restaurant, and he left work just minutes after Murray did. He caught up with Murray and kidnapped her, taking her to his house and fatally shot her once in the head. He wrapped her body with a carpet and hid it in his trailer.
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A month later, Gregory and
Kathryn McKnight were arrested when Murray's car was found in their driveway. In a further search of their property, they found Murray's decomposed body in McKnight's trailer. They also found bones that matched those of Julious.
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222:. He was arrested and convicted under a juvenile court and sentenced to serve a short sentence at the Circleville Youth Center. He was released in 1997 and later married a woman named Kathryn, who had worked at the Youth Center.
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white, was that McKnight "did not release in a safe place unharmed." Attaching kidnapping charges to Murray's murder allowed the state to seek the death penalty against McKnight, as kidnapping served as an
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McKnight arrived on Ohio's death row following his sentencing. In 2015, McKnight volunteered for execution, saying he wanted to die for his crimes. He later recanted that statement.
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charges. Despite elements in
Julious's case being nearly identical, the state chose not to seek the death penalty for Julious's murder. Judge
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in 1992 when McKnight was only a teenager. McKnight was sentenced to death in 2002 and is currently awaiting execution.
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In 2020, McKnight alleged racism during his trial and claimed white jurors had been heard making racial slurs.
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No
Winners Here Tonight: Race, Politics, and Geography in One of the Country's Busiest Death Penalty States
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murder charge, ten years for the kidnapping charge, eight years for the complicity charge, and
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both victims were last seen alive outside of Vinton County. However, eight months later, the
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Jackson, were each indicted on a misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing and theft.
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who was convicted killing two people whose bodies he hid on his property in
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upheld McKnight's conviction by a 6–1 vote, with
Pfeifer dissenting.
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677:"Kenyon student's killer drops request to volunteer for death"
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Gregory McKnight was born
November 14, 1976. He was raised in
533:"Locals arrested for trespassing, theft on McKnight property"
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In 1992, McKnight, then 15, robbed and fatally shot a man in
738:"Ohio killer alleging racism-tainted jury seeks new trial"
652:"Death row inmates like Gregory McKnight who asked to die"
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629:Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
377:"Found body is identified as a missing student"
591:"Trial begins for man charged in two slayings"
318:List of death row inmates in the United States
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8:
371:
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323:List of serial killers in the United States
247:Since McKnight's trial was due to occur in
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736:Andrew Welsh-Huggins (October 1, 2015).
562:"Cost cited in ruling out death penalty"
186:(born November 14, 1976) is an American
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650:Michael Sangiacomo (October 3, 2015).
503:Cassandra Johnston (October 4, 2002).
448:Cassandra Johnston (October 4, 2002).
430:Johnston, Cassandra (April 20, 2001).
402:Cassandra Johnston (October 8, 2002).
806:American prisoners sentenced to death
269:years for receiving stolen property.
7:
821:Prisoners sentenced to death by Ohio
786:21st-century African-American people
776:20th-century African-American people
560:Jonathan Bandler (August 10, 2002).
306:Chillicothe Correctional Institution
172:Chillicothe Correctional Institution
801:American people convicted of murder
16:American serial killer on death row
816:People convicted of murder by Ohio
304:McKnight is awaiting execution at
14:
589:Mark Williams (October 1, 2002).
342:Kirran Syed (October 15, 2002).
791:21st-century American criminals
781:20th-century American criminals
711:(1st ed.). Athens, Ohio:
478:"Man charged in deaths of two"
1:
505:"No alibi provided by wife"
450:"No alibi provided by wife"
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432:McKnight pleads not guilty
276:Allegations of racial bias
404:"Forensics hint at guilt"
344:"McKnight ordered to die"
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91:Receiving stolen property
68:
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826:Serial killers from Ohio
283:aggravating circumstance
796:American male criminals
713:Ohio University Press
705:Welsh-Huggins, Andrew
682:The Columbus Dispatch
296:Supreme Court of Ohio
37:McKnight on death row
624:"Inmate Information"
685:. November 11, 2015
538:Chillicothe Gazette
510:Chillicothe Gazette
455:Chillicothe Gazette
436:Chillicothe Gazette
409:Chillicothe Gazette
383:. December 14, 2000
349:Chillicothe Gazette
192:Vinton County, Ohio
184:Gregory B. McKnight
129:Span of crimes
47:Gregory B. McKnight
715:. pp. 73–74.
595:The Times Recorder
168:Imprisoned at
95:Aggravated robbery
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81:Aggravated murder
57:November 14, 1976
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163:December 9, 2000
159:Date apprehended
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105:Criminal penalty
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25:Gregory McKnight
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541:. July 2, 2002
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75:Conviction(s)
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63:United States
59:(age 47)
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747:. Retrieved
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513:. p. 10
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385:. Retrieved
354:. Retrieved
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291:Paul Pfeifer
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226:20-year-old
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210:, New York.
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771:1976 births
601:. p. 3
570:. p. 1
458:. p. 1
352:. p. 1
765:Categories
329:References
202:Early life
99:Complicity
87:Kidnapping
53:1976-11-14
133:1992–2000
749:July 21,
707:(2009).
689:July 21,
661:July 21,
635:July 21,
605:July 21,
574:July 21,
545:July 21,
517:July 21,
488:July 21,
462:July 21,
416:July 21,
387:July 21,
356:July 21,
312:See also
196:Columbus
147:State(s)
264:⁄
214:Murders
138:Country
120:Victims
115:Details
719:
208:Queens
84:Murder
239:Trial
109:Death
751:2022
717:ISBN
691:2022
663:2022
637:2022
607:2022
576:2022
547:2022
519:2022
490:2022
464:2022
418:2022
389:2022
358:2022
152:Ohio
43:Born
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
