Brogan Rafferty, just 16-years-old, has appeared in court in Noble County, Ohio, charged for his part in the robbery team that lured two middle aged men to their deaths with a phony Craiglist job advertisement.
The teen, who looked dazed standing before the judge, is charged with “aggravated murder, complicity to aggravated murder, attempted murder, and complicity to attempted murder in the death of one man and the shooting of another”, according to AP’s reports.
Rafferty, from Akron, is a junior at Stow Munroe City Schools, located 40 miles southeast of Cleveland. He is currently being held at a juvenile detention center in Muskingum County.
His mother, Yvette Rafferty, sat behind her son, rocking back and forth and on the verge of tears.
While her son got into a police car outside, she gave a few fleeting comments.
She told reporters “We're praying for the families and the victims…God bless you all. Do the right thing. Get the truth."
Speaking to ABC News, his father, Michael Rafferty, said that his son had come under the “spell” of an older man, “Chaplain Rich”, who is also in custody.
His father said that he believes the 16-year-old did not realize what Beasley had involved him in. He said, “I think he probably didn't realize what he was involved in until it was too late and that he was in fear for his life and the lives of the people he loved…To think that my son would be capable of masterminding some kind of crazy scheme like this, that's beyond belief."
Rafferty, from Akron, is a junior at Stow Munroe City Schools, located 40 miles southeast of Cleveland. He is currently being held at a juvenile detention center in Muskingum County.
In mid-November, Scott Davis answered a Craigslist ad for a job at on a nonexistent cattle ranch in Noble County. He was shot in the arm and managed to escape.
Shortly after this incident Rafferty was questioned by the FBI and arrested.
He is charged for his involvement in the scam, which lured applicants into the countryside where they were robbed and then killed. So far authorities have connected two bodies to the scam.
It is believed that David Pauley (51) from Norfolk, VA, was killed on October 23. He was found on Noble County property owned by a coal company. This land is often leased to hunters.
Last Friday Timothy Kern (47), from Massillon, was found buried near an Akron shopping mall. He had been shot in the head.
A third body was found on Friday.This man had also been shot in the head, however, authorities have not said whether this body is also linked to the scam. Officials believe this is the body of Ralph Geiger but no other details have been released at this time.
The teenager, Rafferty, was turned in by his mentor Richard Beasley (52). Beasley was awaiting trial for prostitution and drug charges when the authorities took him into custody. Police say that the halfway house he ran is a front for prostitution.
The attorney representing Beasley for the drug and prostitution charges, Rhonda Kotnik, said Beasley is yet to be charged in relation to the Craigslist murders.
Judge John Nau has put a gag order on the lawyers involved in the case in a bid to ensure a fair trial.
Rafferty’s next hearing before the court will be in a couple of weeks, according to the judge.
Here’s ABC’s reports on the case:
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