The Ohio highway sniper attacks were a series of 24
sniper attacks along
Interstate 270 and other nearby highways in the central part of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
(mostly around
Columbus) against traffic, homes, and a school building in the Hamilton Local School district in Columbus, Ohio. The shootings began in May 2003 and continued for several months. One person was killed (62-year-old Gail Knisley, killed on November 25, 2003), and the shootings caused widespread fear.
The suspect, Charles A. McCoy Jr., was arrested in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
on March 17, 2004. McCoy, who had been diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...
in 1996, stood trial in 2005. The first trial with
death penalty charges resulted in a
hung jury
A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. Hung jury usually results in the case being tried again.
T ...
on May 9, 2005, most likely due to McCoy's severe mental illness. Rather than face a retrial, McCoy accepted a plea arrangement where he avoided the death sentence. After pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter and ten other counts, he was sentenced to 27 years in prison on August 9, 2005.
See also
*
Beltway sniper attacks
The D.C. sniper attacks (also known as the Beltway sniper attacks) were a series of coordinated shootings that occurred during three weeks in October 2002 throughout the Washington metropolitan area, consisting of the District of Columbia, M ...
(October 2002)
*
2003 West Virginia sniper
*
Phoenix freeway shootings
External links
Court TV coverage of Ohio sniper Charles McCoyOhio Department of Corrections Offender Information on Charles McCoy Jr
2003 murders in the United States
Interstate 70
Murder in Ohio
Deaths by firearm in Ohio
2003 in Ohio
Crimes in Ohio
Attacks in the United States in 2003
References
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