COLUMBUS — The Third District Court of Appeals denied triple murderer Kevin Keith’s motion for a new trial on Monday, according to Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Krall.
Keith, a Crestline resident at the time of the incident, was convicted of killing three people and wounding three others in a Feb. 13, 1994 shooting at Bucyrus Estates. Prosecutors say Keith burst into the apartment and killed Marichell Chatman, 24; her 4-year-old daughter, Marchae; and the child’s aunt, Linda Chatman, 39. Marichell Chatman’s boyfriend, Rick Warren, and cousins Quanita Reeves, 7, and Quentin Reeves, 4, were wounded.
According to authorities, revenge was the motive. Marichell Chatman was the sister of an undercover police informant whose efforts led to a four-count indictment against Keith for selling drugs.
“My hope is that this is a day of finality and closure for the victims of this massacre,” said Crawford County Prosecutor Matthew Crall. “Let this be a day of peace for Marichell Chatman, Linda Chatman, Marchae Reeves, who were all murdered by Kevin Keith. Richard Warren, Quanita Reeves, and Quinton Reeves were also shot that night and survived their injuries.
“I pray that today offers their loved ones closure.”
Jim Petro, Counsel for Kevin Keith and former Ohio Attorney General, was disappointed by the ruling but has not give up hope in the case.
“We believe Kevin Keith is innocent, and we are hopeful that the Ohio Supreme Court will provide Mr. Keith and the victims of this shooting with what they should have received long ago: true justice,” Petro said. “A conviction does not provide the finality necessary when it is the wrong man who is paying for the crime.
“No one should be satisfied with a conviction based on the opinion of an unreliable forensic analyst.”
The 53-year-old Keith, working through the Ohio Public Defender’s Office, appealed a January ruling that denied his motion for a new trial. Keith claimed new evidence involving a BCI forensic scientist was discovered that the prosecution suppressed by not providing it to him.
The scientist, G. Michelle Yezzo, was placed on administrative leave in 1993 because of difficulties with co-workers and was eventually given a written reprimand. She returned to work prior to her deposition in the Keith trial, Crall noted.
The court ruled that Keith was not “unavoidably prevented from obtaining” this evidence. It also stated that Keith “cannot establish that there was a strong possibility the evidence would change the result of his trial.”
Keith’s attorneys argued the Common Pleas decision infringed upon his rights by failing to provide material evidence to him, making his trial unfair while citing the Brady vs. Maryland Supreme Court decision.
The District Court ruled it “absolutely could not find in the circumstances of this case that prejudice resulted here,” and that Yezzo’s evidence provided “limited probative testimony.” The court also stated Yezzo provided a key piece of evidence which was favorable to Keith.
In conclusion, the District Court stated, “Over the years in his numerous appeals and post-conviction petitions, Keith has challenged many aspects of his case and the evidence against him, but one fact remains clear, the evidence against Keith was simply overwhelming.”
Crall agreed with that sentiment.
“Today is a great day for justice in Crawford County; justice to those who lost their lives and those who barely escaped with them,” he said.
