MANSFIELD — Jury deliberations have begun in the Walter Renz murder trial.
Renz, 54, faces seven charges in connection with Mansfield woman Patsy Hudson’s disappearance and death.
He is charged with aggravated murder (a first-degree felony), murder, abuse of a corpse (a fifth-degree felony), tampering with evidence (a third-degree felony), receiving stolen property (a fifth-degree felony), misuse of credit cards (a fifth-degree felony) and identity fraud (a fourth-degree felony).
Hudson, 62, disappeared in the summer of 2015. A missing person’s report was filed to the Mansfield Police Department in late December.
In January 2016, the Mansfield police searched Hudson’s house on Spring Street, as well as the next-door house, where Renz and his girlfriend, Linda Buckner, 58, lived.
The following month, Renz and Buckner were arrested in Tennessee after the U.S. Marshals Task Force tracked the use of Hudson’s stolen credit card.
The couple was arraigned and pled not guilty on the charges of receiving stolen property (Hudson’s credit card). Police discovered the remains of what was believed to be Patsy Hudson in February 2016. Three months later, the Richland County prosecutor confirmed the remains belonged to Hudson.
Buckner pled not guilty to aggravated murder in July 2016. She was sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole in November by Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese.
Renz’s trial was supposed to start in August, but Josh Brown, Renz’s defense attorney, filed a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. The motion was upheld and DeWeese ordered the defendant undergo a mental evaluation.
Renz was found incompetent to stand trial after the mental evaluation and was committed to Heartland Behavioral Healthcare in Massillon.
In January of this year, a forensic psychologist issued a report saying Renz was competent to stand trial.
His trial began last Tuesday in Richland County Common Pleas Judge James DeWeese’s courtroom.
A Richland County jury heard the attorneys’ closing arguments Thursday morning.
J. Brandon Pigg, Chief Criminal Attorney with the Richland County Prosecutor’s Office, argued what he believes the evidence has shown.
He drew the jury’s attention to instructions that they were given when it comes to determining the verdict.
“If you read these instructions you may have noticed that for every charge with respect to the defendant it is that (Renz) did aid or abet in committing that offense,” Pigg said.
Aid or abet means to “support, assist, encourage, cooperate with, advise or incite,” he said.
“If you find that he did these things with (Linda Buckner) — that he assisted, supported, encouraged, cooperated with, advised or incited Linda Buckner — he is just as guilty as if he had performed every act constituting the offense,” he said.
He argued that Renz’s motive in this case was money.
“Early on, the defendant and Linda Buckner realized that Patsy Hudson could be their paycheck,” he said.
But Brown argued that Renz didn’t need Hudson’s money.
“He had his own (Social Security) check coming in,” Brown said.
He went onto say that since the beginning of the case he’s said that Renz is guilty of tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.
“The state proved that — I told you they’d prove that,” he said.
Brown believes the state did not prove the other five charges Renz faces.
“Mere association is not enough,” Brown said. “He’s got to participate in some kind of a plan.”
After hearing their arguments, the five-female, seven-male jury proceeded to deliberate the case. Deliberations are ongoing.
