Local family's parole fight goes online
The Zanesville Recorder
Date: August 25, 2005
By STEPHANIE A. GREEGOR
sgreegor@nncogannett.com
EDITOR'S NOTE: Some material in this story may be too graphic for younger readers. The murder of 5-year-old Sara West was a brutal crime. Please read with caution.
ZANESVILLE -- A local family's fight to keep a murderer behind bars is gaining strength with a Web site -- www.findmissingkids.com -- and nearly 5,000 signatures.
"The support has just been super -- wonderful, you couldn't ask for anything more," said Shirley West, grandmother of Sara West who was brutally murdered by Billy Joe Shafer on Valentine's Day in 1993.
Sara was the daughter of Tracy Hickman of South Carolina, and Kevin West of Roseville.
Since early July, Shirley West has spearheaded an effort to keep Shafer from being paroled in 2010 by circulating a petition to keep him locked up. She stated in July she wanted 10,000 signatures to send to the Ohio Parole Board for its consideration at his hearing. In one month's time she has gather more than 3,000 signatures to add to the 2,000 she already had.
"It's amazing," said Sara's mother, Tracy Hickman, of the community support. "I know that we had so much support at the time of her death, it doesn't surprise me the support we're getting now."
Shafer pleaded guilty in 1993 to aggravated murder with a gun specification after brutally raping and murdering 5-year-old Sara. Shafer was 16 when he committed the crime.
According to the petition West and family members Barbara Wolford and Evelyn Hickman are circulating throughout Ohio, Shafer was a sexual predator who confessed to planning the murder weeks before it happened. West said the information on the petition came from case documents. Some of that information can be found at www.findmissingkids.com, which also contains petitions that may be printed.
While the family does not know the progression of events the day of Sara's death, the petition states Sara was raped, shot in the head and disemboweled. She was found with her throat cut twice from ear to ear with "satanic" cuts all over her body.
Shafer drank her blood and sexually abused Sara's body after she died. He cut the 5-year-old open and ran his hands and arms inside of her whole body. In Shafer's own words from his confessions, the murder "was all done with a great feeling of euphoria, liken to a drug high."
Zanesville Police Chief Eric Lambes said it was the most "gruesome" murder in history he could recall. Sara's remains were found later that night in two trash bags in a dump.
Shafer is being held at the Madison County Correction Center in London.
"I think we're going to surpass the goal (of 10,000 signatures)," Sara's mom said.
Hickman went on to say she's spoken with the man who designed the Web page for free -- Bret Vinocur -- and he's been "really good about helping us with this."
Vinocur is a victim advocate.
Locally, petitions can be signed at the Zanesville Police Department or the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The police station is located at 332 South St. and the Sheriff's office is located at 28 N. 4th St.
In addition to the petitions, West is asking people to write letters opposing Shafer's release. The letters can be written to the Ohio Parole Board at 1050 Freeway Drive North, Columbus, OH 43229, and must included inmate number A279420. A rally is being planned for a date closer to the hearing.
"This is probably the only thing that I can do now," said West of her efforts. "I can't help Sara anymore, but it helps me to think that I am trying to help other families from ever having this in their life. If even just one time this parole board says 'We won't let you out,' then my efforts won't be in vain."