Enjoying the JourneyCold Ethyl, Cold, Cold Ethyl
September 2nd 2008 08:02
Cold Ethyl, Cold, Cold Ethyl
In 1982, 19-year-old Karen Range of Cincinnati, Ohio was murdered by a traveling door-to-door soap salesman named David Steffen. The autopsy also found semen in Range’s body. The charges together wound up convincing a jury to put Steffen on death row.
Last month advances in DNA technology proved otherwise however. When they ran DNA tests on the semen found in Range’s body it turned out it was not Steffen’s. Investigators found out who the semen belonged to and brought the man in for questioning. During his questioning, Kenneth Douglas told police he had worked at the morgue from 1976-1992, as an attendant that takes care of the bodies. He later confessed to having sex with Range’s body the day after she had come into the morgue nearly beheaded while it was waiting for autopsy. In further discussions Douglas apparently confessed to having sex with three or four other corpses as well.
Douglas’s lawyer tried to argue in court that the statute of limitations of six years had long since passed and that his client could no longer be prosecuted for the act. The police and prosecutors used the thinking that until a month ago they had no idea the crime had been committed, and as such the statute of limitations had just begun. The judge hearing the case agreed and placed him in custody on a $700,000 bond. Douglas’s next court date is set for September 4th.
While Douglas worked at the morgue he also held a job at a Cincinnati funeral home. Prosecutors were also investigating wether or not he had committed any crimes while there.
I also read somewhere that Range's parents were relieved to find out what really happened because they knew their daughter was a virgin up until that point, and this way at least she still was when she was murdered.
It will be interesting to see if investigators can find out the specifics of the other cases, and if it was indeed only three or four as Douglas stated, or more. I am also curious if they will do anything for Steffen. It seems the only reason the jury recommended the death penalty was because of the two charges together. Had it been just the murder charge they probably would not have sought the death penalty.
Information Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
In 1982, 19-year-old Karen Range of Cincinnati, Ohio was murdered by a traveling door-to-door soap salesman named David Steffen. The autopsy also found semen in Range’s body. The charges together wound up convincing a jury to put Steffen on death row.
Last month advances in DNA technology proved otherwise however. When they ran DNA tests on the semen found in Range’s body it turned out it was not Steffen’s. Investigators found out who the semen belonged to and brought the man in for questioning. During his questioning, Kenneth Douglas told police he had worked at the morgue from 1976-1992, as an attendant that takes care of the bodies. He later confessed to having sex with Range’s body the day after she had come into the morgue nearly beheaded while it was waiting for autopsy. In further discussions Douglas apparently confessed to having sex with three or four other corpses as well.
Douglas’s lawyer tried to argue in court that the statute of limitations of six years had long since passed and that his client could no longer be prosecuted for the act. The police and prosecutors used the thinking that until a month ago they had no idea the crime had been committed, and as such the statute of limitations had just begun. The judge hearing the case agreed and placed him in custody on a $700,000 bond. Douglas’s next court date is set for September 4th.
While Douglas worked at the morgue he also held a job at a Cincinnati funeral home. Prosecutors were also investigating wether or not he had committed any crimes while there.
I also read somewhere that Range's parents were relieved to find out what really happened because they knew their daughter was a virgin up until that point, and this way at least she still was when she was murdered.
It will be interesting to see if investigators can find out the specifics of the other cases, and if it was indeed only three or four as Douglas stated, or more. I am also curious if they will do anything for Steffen. It seems the only reason the jury recommended the death penalty was because of the two charges together. Had it been just the murder charge they probably would not have sought the death penalty.
Information Source: Cincinnati Enquirer
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