Suspect testifies in Ohio Craigslist killings case - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

Suspect testifies in Ohio Craigslist killings case

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) - The alleged triggerman in the killings of 3 men lured to their deaths by phony Craigslist job offers in Ohio has told a jury he's innocent.

Fifty-3-year-old Richard Beasley took the stand in his own defense Wednesday in Akron.

Beasley denied involvement in the 2011 attacks and said that the lone survivor was sent to kill him in retaliation for being a police snitch in a motorcycle gang investigation. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports Beasley testified in a calm, even voice after stepping to the witness stand from a wheelchair he uses for back problems.

His testimony came after the prosecutors rested without calling 18-year-old co-defendant Brogan Rafferty. He was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

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