State responds to latest appeal of man convicted of kidnapping, murder, rape of Warren boy

The State of Ohio has responded to the latest appeal for a man convicted of kidnapping, murdering and raping a 12-year-old boy in Warren back in 1985

By Zach Mosca

WFMJ News

The State of Ohio has responded to the latest appeal for a man convicted of kidnapping, murdering and raping a 12-year-old boy in Warren back in 1985.

Earlier in December, a panel of three judges from the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals released an opinion ordering another trial for Danny Lee Hill, who was sentenced to death in 1986 for the kidnapping, murder and rape of Raymond Fife.

This was in response to an appeal from Hill asking for his death penalty to be remanded due to his claims of having an intellectual disability, commonly referred to as an "Atkins claim."

Now, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's Senior Assistant Attorney General Stephen Maher responded by filing two separate motions with the Appeals Court.

In one motion, Maher is asking for the full panel of all five Appeals Court judges to rehear the case.

In the other, Maher is requesting the court to "Certify a Conflict" or advise the Ohio Supreme Court that it believes that there is a disagreement on an issue of law between various Ohio Courts of Appeals, thereby requiring a review by the Supreme Court to clearly state the law in Ohio.

The Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office released a statement following the December 11 release of the Appeals Court opinion opposing their ruling stating that they believe the original ruling sentencing Hill to death was "legally sound."

The statement also stated that Hill's claimed intellectual disability had already been examined by numerous courts and the results were always the same.

"After over 37 years of litigation including nearly 30 appeals, all issues have been considered many times by every available court in this country including on written decision by the United States Supreme Court and ultimately found to be meritless," the statement read.

https://www.wfmj.com/story/50282948/...-of-warren-boy