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Mother, children stabbed, 2 fatally
Woman urged friend to break up with suspect

Jim Hannah, Randy McNutt, and Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer
August 24, 2002

WARSAW, Ky. - A woman who had counseled a friend to get out of an abusive relationship was stabbed 15 times - allegedly by the friend's jilted boyfriend, who police say broke into her house early Friday, killed two of her children and left a third bleeding.

Marco Allen Chapman, 30, who police say stabbed Carolyn Marksberry, the city clerk of Warsaw, and the children, was arrested in West Virginia. His 268-mile flight took him through Boone County, where police said he grabbed a second getaway vehicle near Big Bone Lick State Park.

While Mr. Chapman fled across Kentucky, Ms. Marksberry, 37, a Girl Scout troop leader, underwent five hours of emergency surgery.

The knife attack, reported to Gallatin County dispatch at 6 a.m., left Ms. Marksberry's children, Cody Sharon, 6, and his sister Chelbi Sharon , 7, dead.

Their sister, Courtney Sharon, 10, was wounded and taken to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, where she was in fair condition Friday night with superficial knife wounds.

Ms. Marksberry's husband, in Spain for training with his steel company employer, was en route back to Cincinnati.

County sheriffs arrested Mr. Chapman in Shrewsbury, W.Va., about 12:30 p.m., charging him with two counts of murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of burglary.

With stab wounds and a collapsed lung, Ms. Marksberry was in critical condition at University Hospital late Friday.

Wounds serious

"I think she was pretty lucky," said Dr. Sandra Miller, a University Hospital trauma surgeon. "Her wounds were deep - cuts to her neck and trachea (wind pipe).

"She had a collapsed lung from a stab wound to the chest, but the lung is re-expanded now and I think things have gone well in terms of medical care. She's doing well overall."

Dr. Miller said Ms. Marksberry received eight to 10 units of blood during five hours of surgery. No additional surgery was planned, the doctor said.

Ms. Marksberry also suffered wounds to her esophagus and an unspecified eye trauma, Dr. Miller said.

"At this point, patients like this just need to be supported," she said.

The children's father was at the hospital with Courtney. Ms. Marksberry's husband, and the stepfather of the children, was in Spain for job training with North American Steel in Ghent, Ky.

Family members at the Marksberry residence in Warsaw and at the hospitals in Cincinnati declined to comment.

Helping a friend

Townspeople across Warsaw said Ms. Marksberry had been helping a friend get out of what they called an "abusive relationship" with Mr. Chapman and that the friend lived within yards of the Marksberry home.

Several townspeople said Ms. Marksberry's friend often spent the night at the Marksberry home because she was afraid of Mr. Chapman.

Relatives of the woman who Mr. Chapman had been involved with declined comment when reached at their home.

Sgt. John Bradley of the Kentucky State Police would not comment on any motive for the attack or about how the victims knew the suspect.

"This is certainly very rare, very unusual and very sad for this community," said Sgt. Bradley.

Sgt. Bradley was not aware of any other witnesses to the crime. "I won't speculate what I think happened." Neighbors told police they heard tires squealing near the Weldon Way residence about 5 a.m.

Warsaw Police Chief Donnie Gould was the first officer on the scene after Gallatin County dispatch received a call about possible trouble at the Marksberry home at 6:01 a.m. He could not pinpoint the time of the attack.

"Things like this don't happen in Warsaw," Chief Gould said. "I guess it is an ever-changing world."

Small town reacts

"Lord, I don't know how anybody could do that," said neighbor Polly Jackson, 83. "Carolyn Marksberry was a real good mother. I can't understand something like this happening to her, let alone the children."

Mrs. Jackson, who has lived across the road from the Marksberrys for about five years, described the family as "good, quiet neighbors." She said Ms. Marksberry often brought her vegetables from her garden, and her children played with Mrs. Jackson's grandchildren.

"How do you explain something like this to a little 6-year-old kid?" Mrs. Jackson said. "I can't understand it myself. You don't think about this kind of thing happening in a little community like ours."

"You didn't have to know them for it to break your heart," said Dallas Wallace, 63, a farmer in Gallatin County.

Ms. Marksberry's home is a one-story white-frame house with black shutters that sits on the end of a cul-de-sac. Warsaw, a small city on the Ohio River, is not far from the Kentucky Speedway, about 45 miles southwest of Cincinnati.

"This has been a gloomy day," said Christine Gordy while she had lunch at the soda counter in Beringer Drug Center across from the county courthouse. "I think it has saddened everyone. I don't remember anyone killing babies here before. Nothing sticks out in my mind like that."

Warrant, flight, arraignment

A warrant was issued for Mr. Chapman's arrest Friday morning on two counts of murder and two counts of first-degree assault. Police also added a burglary charge to the warrant.

He was arraigned in Charleston, W.Va., on the warrant and is expected to be extradited to Kentucky.

Mr. Chapman's last known address was in Warsaw, but Boone County police said he had been staying at a home on Beaver Road in Boone County.

There is no record of any prior interaction by Mr. Chapman with local law enforcement in Gallatin County on file at the courthouse. Boone County officials also have no record of any prior arrests or contacts with Mr. Chapman.

As they began the search for Mr. Chapman, state police got information that he was possibly en route to Charlottesville, Va. Baltimore or West Virginia.

West Virginia was, "One of the places we were looking at as a possible destination," because Mr. Chapman may have had family or lived there, said Sgt. Bradley.

When he was apprehended, Mr. Chapman was driving a 1992 gray Dodge Dakota, taken from the home in Boone County where he had been staying.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department was called to the home on Beaver Road near Big Bone Lick State Park about 7:30 a.m.

Mr. Chapman had apparently been staying at that residence and had returned there early Friday after leaving Gallatin County, dropping off the Geo he had been driving.

He left a note telling his friend he was taking his Dakota to get a load of firewood, said Major Jack Banks of the Boone County Sheriff's Department.

Support at the school

Gallatin County Schools were locked Friday morning as the search went on for Mr. Chapman.

Cody was in first grade and Chelbi was in third grade at Gallatin County Elementary School. Courtney was in fifth grade at the neighboring Gallatin County Upper Elementary School.

"Our local crisis team, made up of our own school guidance counselors and local ministers, has been assisting with both students and staff in the elementary and upper elementary today," said Dot Perkins, superintendent of the 730-student Gallatin County Schools District.

The elementary school building will be open from 10 a.m. to noon today and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday to provide a gathering place for people to talk with counselors.

Warsaw City Hall, where Ms. Marksberry worked, was closed much of the day. Workers were too distraught to continue.

"We have had more tragedy in this city over the summer than I can ever, ever remember," said George Zubaty, the Gallatin County judge-executive, referring to an Indiana man's Aug. 4 shooting of a Warsaw police officer, who returned fire, killing the man. The officer was saved by his body armor.

"This would be horrible for any city, large or small."

"The tragedy is that it happened," Mr. Zubaty said. "It doesn't matter where. For it to happen to children is totally foreign and against all our beliefs."

[Admin]

Stabbing suspect awaits extradition

Tom O'Neill
The Cincinnati Enquirer
August 27, 2002

As Marco Allen Chapman awaited an extradition hearing scheduled for today in West Virginia, the emotional recovery of tiny Warsaw, Ky., continued Monday.

Mr. Chapman is charged with killing two children and wounding their mother, Warsaw City Clerk Carolyn Marksberry, 37, and a 10-year-old sister in an attack in their home Friday.

Boone-Gallatin County Prosecutor Linda Tally-Smith said that if he waives extradition proceedings, Mr. Chapman could be back in Kentucky by the end of the week.

Ms. Tally Smith, who has said there is a strong likelihood that her office would seek the death penalty in the case, said she had no indication of whether Mr. Chapman intended to waive the extradition hearing.

If Mr. Chapman fights extradition, the process could take a few months, requiring the signature of the West Virginia governor.

With Ms. Marksberry, who was stabbed 15 times, now in fair condition at University Hospital in Cincinnati, arrangements for a public memorial were finalized Monday.

The memorial will be 11 a.m. Saturday at the Gallatin County Elementary School auditorium, where the two slain children, Chelbi Sharon , 7, and her brother Codi, 6, were in third- and first-grade, respectively.

"This will give the community a chance to get together and maybe have a little closure," said Jack Lowder, owner of Carlton-Lowder Funeral Home in Warsaw, which is handling the service. "It's been a tough one, just a nightmare."

Warsaw is a city of about 1,800 on the Ohio River about 45 miles southwest of Cincinnati.

No burial information was released.

Courtney Sharon, 10, a fifth-grader at Gallatin County Upper Elementary,survived the attack and has been released from Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati. Ms. Marksberry may be released from this weekend.

Gallatin County Schools superintendent Dot Perkins' voice wavered Monday as she described the response from students.

A classmate of the two slain children at the lower elementary school wrote a message that simply said: "I know you're in heaven and watching us play now."

Mr. Chapman, 30, of an unincorporated area of Boone County, faces a 9 a.m. extradition hearing today before Kanawha County (W. Va.) Circuit Court Judge Charles King. His court-appointed attorney, Ronnie Sheets, was unavailable for comment Monday.

Mr. Frederick said. Mr. Chapman is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of first-degree assault and one count of burglary.

Police say Mr. Chapman is the former boyfriend of a Marksberry neighbor, whom Mrs. Marksberry had encouraged to break off the abusive relationship.

"We are waiting for extradition," Kentucky state police spokesman Greg Larimore said Monday. "Detectives have been working on the case all day."

He said he was unaware of the results of a search of the Geo car Mr. Chapman is believed to have driven from the scene.

In lieu of flowers, Marksberry family supporters are asked to contribute to the Carolyn Marksberry Special Account at Integra Bank, 401 E. Main St., Warsaw. The phone number is (859) 567-5071. Integra manager Rosalie Ramsey on Monday called contributions generous.

And they're not just coming from the Warsaw area.

"We did get a call from Florida," Ms. Ramsey said.

[Admin]

VICTIM'S BIRTHDAY REMEMBERED - FAMILY REQUESTS GIFTS FOR CHILDREN

The Cincinnati Post
August 28, 2002

Chelbi Sharon would have been 8 on Sunday.

But she and her brother Cody, 6, were killed by a knife-wielding intruder who broke into their Warsaw home early Friday morning and also stabbed their mother, Carolyn Marksberry, and their sister, Courtney, 10

To commemorate the birthday, family members are asking people on Saturday to give a stuffed animal or toy to a child, either their own or one in need.

Bill Hedges, Marksberry's older brother, hopes the gesture will help people to remember their children, as his sister did hers.

'We wanted to do something with more of a community voice,' Hedges said. 'We were thinking of doing a memorial, but we wanted to do something that would shows kindness to all human beings. We think this would be a great way to celebrate something during a time of great negativity.'

Courtney Sharon was released from the hospital over the weekend; her mother remains in University Hospital in fair condition, recovering from surgery she underwent Friday to repair the damage she suffered from 15 stab wounds.

Meanwhile the man accused in the attacks, Marco Chapman, 30, agreed Tuesday to return to Kentucky to face charges.

Family members say Chapman was upset with Marksberry for telling her friend and neighbor, Debbie Peace Williamson, to end her relationship with Chapman.

Appearing Tuesday in Kanawha County Circuit Court in Charleston, Chapman waived his right to an extradition hearing.

Chapman signed the extradition waiver before the hearing. His attorney, public defender Ronni Sheets, said the waiver 'isn't an admission to anything. He just wants to go back to Kentucky to fight the charges there.'

Kanawha County Assistant Prosecutor Maryclaire Akers told Kanawha Circuit Judge Charles King that Kentucky law officers would not be able to pick up Chapman until Thursday or Friday. King ordered Kentucky police to pick up Chapman by 5 p.m. Friday.

'I don't see the need for him to be languishing in our jails,' King said.

Gallatin County Prosecutor Linda Tally Smith has said she may seek the death penalty against Chapman, who was arrested more than six hours after the attack at a gas station in the Cabin Creek area of eastern Kanawha County, near where he has relatives.

[Admin]

ACCUSED KILLER BACK IN KY. - HE PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN DEATHS

Paul A. Long,
The Cincinnati Post
August 30, 2002

Marco Chapman, charged with stabbing four members of a Warsaw, Ky., family - killing the two youngest children and injuring their mother and older sister - pleaded not guilty today.

Security was tight in the Boone County courtroom as District Judge Michael Collins ordered Chapman held on $50 million bond.

It is, perhaps, the highest bond ever set in Northern Kentucky. Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith, who will prosecute the case, said it signifies the extraordinary brutality of the crime.

'We're talking about a horrific crime, horrific charges and horrific results,'' she said afterward the brief arraignment. 'I think the bond speaks to what the judge thinks about the strengths of our case.''

Chapman was arraigned on two counts of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of Cody Sharon, 6, and Chelbi Sharon , 7, and two counts of assault in connection with attacks on their mother, Carolyn Marksberry, 37, and their sister, Courtney Sharon, 10.

He is also charged with burglary for breaking into the family's home in Warsaw, Ky., some time before 6 a.m. Aug. 23.

Police believe he then returned to his apartment in Boone County before fleeing to West Virginia, where he had family.

Carolyn Marksberry remains at University Hospital, recuperating from surgery for 15 stab wounds. Her daughter was released from the hospital last weekend.

Marksberry's brother attended the hearing at her request.

'She didn't say why, but she didn't need to say why to me,'' Bill Hedges said after the hearing.

He said his sister has made a remarkable recovery. Hedges, an intelligence officer and master sergeant in the U.S. Army, said he's seen courage on the faces of soldiers every day. His sister surpassed anything he has seen.

'I've worked with courage,'' he said. 'I've seen courage come in and sit down - and I've never seen the attitude and the courage that I've seen in Carolyn's eyes and in Chuck's eyes.''

Hedges is Marksberry's husband, who was on a business trip in Spain when his family was attacked.

During the brief hearing today, Chapman, 30, shuffled quietly into the Boone County courtroom. Security was tight - about a half-dozen uniformed troopers from the Kentucky State Police joined an equal number of bailiffs and plainclothes officers from the Boone County Sheriff Department.

Chapman, who was returned to Kentucky Thursday evening from West Virginia, was taken to the Boone County Jail, which has a direct connection to the courtroom. He was brought in and out without ever having to go through a public area.

He asked for and received a public defender. John Delaney and James Gibson, both state public advocates, were appointed to defend him.

[Admin]

A grieving family's gesture
Thumbs up: Remember Chelbie

The Cincinnati Enquirer
August 31, 2002

Today is Chelbi Sharon 's eighth birthday.

That is, today would have been her eighth birthday.

On Aug. 23, Chelbie and her younger brother, Cody, 6, were stabbed to death in an attack at the family's home in Warsaw, Ky. Her older sister, Courtney, 10, and her mother, Carolyn Marksberry, were injured but survived the attack. Marco Allen Chapman, 30, whose ex-girlfriend was a neighbor of the family, has been charged with the killings.

A memorial service for the two children is scheduled at 11 a.m. today in the auditorium at the Gallatin County Elementary School, where Chelbi and Codi would have been students this fall.

This brutal murder of innocent children - what a stunned Courtney later described as "craziness" - is awful enough in itself. For the family, it was made even more agonizing by the thought that Chelbi was just days away from her birthday.

And so, even amid their grief and pain, the family is asking the public to buy toys and donate them to needy children today in Chelbi's memory. This is a thoughtful, touching gesture. We hope that Tristate families take the opportunity to remember Chelbi by making other childen's lives a bit brighter.

It is typically our instinct to try to make some sense out of a senseless tragedy, to somehow wring something positive out of the horror and sadness. This reaffirms our humanity in the face of inhuman acts.

Consider this today when you're at the mall or supermarket. Pick up a toy, wrap it up in birthday gift wrap, and deliver it to a needy family, or to one of our region's many social service agencies. Better yet, donate a second toy in memory of little Cody.

No, it shouldn't take the killing of a child for us to reach out to those less fortunate. But this is a fitting occasion for us to celebrate life.

Happy birthday, Chelbi.

[Admin]

CHAPMAN HAD KNIFE IN COURT - BELIEVED NOT USED IN KILLINGS

The Cincinnati Post
September 9, 2002

Marco Chapman, charged with stabbing two young children to death in Warsaw, Ky., had a knife in his blood-soaked shoes after his arrest and during his arraignment in West Virginia.

The knife, which was 'about the size of a set of fingernail clippers,' was not discovered until Chapman kicked off his shoes at the South Central Regional Jail in Charleston, W.Va., said a sheriff's spokesman there.

Kanawha County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. J.S. Bailes said, however, he could 'say with a degree of certainty that it was not the knife used in the murders.'

Deputies arrested Chapman about 12:30 p.m. Aug. 23 in Shrewsbury, W.Va., six hours after he allegedly broke into the Warsaw home of 37-year-old Carolyn Marksberry.

Two of her children, Chelbi Sharon , 7, and Cody Sharon, 6, were killed in the knife attack. Marksberry, who suffered 15 stab wounds, and another daughter, Courtney Sharon, 10, survived.

Bailes said deputies 'thoroughly checked' Chapman for weapons when they arrested him, and 'he was found to be unarmed.'

Deputies wanted Chapman's bloody shoes for evidence, Bailes said, so they 'minimized handling' of them. They couldn't remove Chapman's shoes before he got to the jail, Bailes said, because he had no others to wear.

When Chapman kicked off his shoes at the jail, the knife fell out, Bailes said. Sheriff's detectives recovered the knife and turned it and Chapman's shoes and socks over to Kentucky State Police.

'We didn't think there was a security risk, because he was restrained the entire time he was in custody, and he was heavily guarded,' Bailes said.

[Admin]

CHAPMAN TO FACE DEATH PENALTY

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
September 25, 2002

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against the man charged with slaughtering two children during a rampage through a Gallatin County house.

At the same time a county grand jury was handing up an eight-count indictment this morning against 31-year-old Marco Chapman, Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith was filing notice that she planned to seek the death penalty.

'This has to be, if not the most, one of the most heinous crimes I've ever been involved in,'' Smith said. 'It seems to me that this is the very type of offense that calls for the death penalty.'

The grand jury indicted Chapman on two counts of murder, one count of burglary, two counts of attempted murder, one count each of rape and robbery, and being a persistent felony offender in the Aug. 23 attack on Carolyn Marksberry and her children.

The charges provide several aggravating factors that state law requires for a jury to consider the death penalty: There were multiple, intentional murders; and murder was committed during a rape, a robbery and a burglary.

'You only need one,' Smith said. 'I have four.'

Chapman, who is being held in the Carroll County Jail on $50 million cash bond, was not in court. He will be arraigned on the charges Oct. 7.

Police said Chapman went to the Marksberry home about 4:10 a.m. and asked to use the phone. Marksberry was in the house with her three children; her husband, Chuck, was in Europe on a business trip. Chapman knew the family and had been a frequent guest in their home.

When Mrs. Marksberry opened the door, Chapman pulled a knife, robbed her, then forced her into the back bedroom, where he tied her up and raped her, police said. Chapman then began to stab her so violently that he broke his knife, stopped, and went to the kitchen for another knife.

When the children awoke to their mother's screams, Chapman led them to the kitchen. There, he stabbed Cody Sharon, 6, to death, and stabbed 10-year-old Courtney Sharon numerous times. She survived only by playing dead, police said.

Chapman went to another bedroom, where he fatally stabbed Chelbi Sharon , 7, police said.

Afterward, he returned to his house in Union, Ky., where he changed cars and took off for West Virginia where he was arrested near Charleston, W.Va.

Smith said she has talked at length to the Marksberrys before seeking the death penalty.

She told them that a death-penalty trial will require testimony from both survivors, and even a conviction will not end the case - years of appeals will likely follow.

'They understand,' she said. 'They're prepared.'

[Admin]

COMMUNITY HELPS EASE FAMILY'S PAIN

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
September 26, 2002

The husband of the woman brutally attacked inside her home last month says an outpouring of support from the community has helped to ease the trauma his family has suffered.

Chuck Marksberry was on a business trip in Spain when he learned that two of his step-children had been killed and his wife, Carolyn, was near death with multiple stab wounds in a Cincinnati hospital.

The long road to recovery continues, he said. His wife is out of the hospital, and his sole surviving step-daughter, Courtney Sharon, 10, is back in school.

'I just want to thank the community for all the cards and letters,'' Marksberry said. He said he asked his wife if she wanted to stay in Warsaw or leave. 'She said she wanted to stay,' he said.

Marksberry was in Gallatin Circuit Court Wednesday morning as a grand jury returned an eight-count indictment charging Marco Chapman with carrying out the crimes.

Gallatin Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith filed notice Wednesday that she plans to seek the death penalty against Chapman.

Chapman was indicted on two counts of murder in connection with the fatal stabbing of Cody Sharon, 6, and Chelbi Sharon , 7; two counts of attempted murder in connection with the stabbing of Courtney and Mrs. Marksberry; and one count each of robbery, burglary, rape and being a persistent felony offender.

Chapman, who is being held in the Carroll County Jail on $50 million cash bond, was not in court. He will be arraigned on the charges Oct. 7.

The indictment is 'what I expected,'' said Marksberry, who declined to talk further about his thoughts about the case or about the 31-year-old Chapman.

'My wife is doing well,'' he said, adding that she still needed surgery to repair nerve damage from a stab wound in her arm.

'I'm doing as well as I can. I take it day-to-day. I've had mad days and sad days. - But day-to-day - that's our motto.'

Smith noted Wednesday that she had talked to the Marksberry family at length before deciding to seek the death penalty.

[Admin]

CHARITY RIDE ASSISTS STABBING VICTIMS

Jeanne Houck
The Cincinnati Post
September 30, 2002

Nearly 1,500 motorcyclists took part in a 63-mile charity ride through Boone and Gallatin counties Sunday that raised $10,000 for the family of 7-year-old Chelbi Sharon and 6-year-old Cody Sharon.

The Sharon children were stabbed to death Aug. 23 in their Warsaw, Ky., home.

Their mother, Carolyn Marksberry, and older sister, 10-year-old Courtney Sharon, also were stabbed, but survived.

Chuck Marksberry, Carolyn's husband and the stepfather of the children, climbed onto a homemade stage outside a BP station in Sparta to thank the crowd for its support.

He was away on a business trip when his wife and stepchildren were stabbed.

'It's a sad time, but it's also a happy time,'' Marksberry said, 'seeing how many wonderful people there are in the world.''

The benefit was organized by Deanna Hartman, 32, who operates Deanna's Barber Shop in Warsaw and rides a Honda Shadow.

Marksberry and the children were customers, and she was horrified when she learned of the stabbings.

Hartman said she could think of only one place to find help for them - her church, Shout Assembly, in Warsaw.

There, 'God told me that if I quit talking about the bad and the negative, he would use me,'' Hartman said.

Garry Sharon, the paternal grandfather of the children, said Carolyn Marksberry and Courtney had come to the service station in Sparta to see the bikers, but preferred to remain in a secluded area.

Sharon said it was difficult for him to talk - then seemed unable to stop until he had convinced listeners how special Chelbi and Cody were.

'Anybody that knows those kids, loved them,'' he said.

'Chelbi, the first thing she wanted to do was hug and kiss you. The last thing she wanted to do was hug and kiss you.

'Cody was a Space Station addict. He was always interested in his computer games,' he continued. 'But he'd come nuzzling back to his PaPa for comfort.''

Charged with the murders is Marco Chapman, 31, of Union.

He faces trial in Gallatin County Circuit Court on two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and one count each of rape, robbery, burglary and being a persistent felon.

If Chapman is convicted, he could be sentenced to death.

He's being held in lieu of a $50 million cash bond in the Carroll County Jail.

[Admin]

DEFENSE: THROW OUT STATEMENT - CHAPMAN NOT READ RIGHTS, JUDGE TOLD

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
January 14, 2003

Attorneys for Marco Allen Chapman, who is facing the death penalty on charges that he killed two children in their home here last summer after raping their mother, are asking a judge to throw out statements he gave to West Virginia authorities the day he was arrested.

Kanawha County deputies never read Marco Allen Chapman his rights before questioning him, said his attorney, public defender John Delaney. If they did, they never put it on tape or secured a signed statement from Chapman waiving his right to remain silent or consult an attorney, Delaney said Monday in Gallatin Circuit Court.

Prosecutors previously gave defense attorneys a CD of the statement, and defense attorneys transcribed 77 pages of it. Delaney said "huge chunks of it are inaudible" and that he plans to meet with Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith to listen to the original tape recording. Judge Jay Bamberger set a hearing for Feb. 24 at which he will hear evidence and make a decision on Chapman's motion.

Among those likely to testify are the two deputy sheriffs from Kanawha County who arrested and questioned Chapman. Three Kentucky State Police troopers who drove Chapman back to Kentucky also may give evidence.

Police said Chapman took off for West Virginia after an early morning rampage through the home of Carolyn Marksberry on Aug. 23. The 31-year-old faces charges of murder, attempted murder, burglary, rape and robbery in connection with the deaths of Marksberry's two youngest children and the brutal rape and assault of Mrs. Marksberry. He also is charged with assaulting her 10-year-old daughter.

Smith has filed notice she plans to seek the death penalty. No trial date has been set, and Chapman remains in the Carroll County Jail on $50 million bond.

Police said Chapman went to the Marksberry home about 4:10 a.m. and asked to use the phone. Mrs. Marksberry was in the house with her three children; her husband, Chuck, was in Europe on business. Chapman had been a frequent guest in their home.

When Mrs. Marksberry opened the door, Chapman pulled the knife, robbed her, then forced her into the back bedroom, where he tied her up and raped her, police said. Chapman then began to stab her so violently that he broke his knife, stopped, went to the kitchen to get another knife, went back to the bedroom and resumed stabbing her, according to previous court testimony.

When their mother's screaming woke the children up, Chapman led them to the kitchen, police said. There, he stabbed Cody Sharon, 6, to death, and stabbed 10-year-old Courtney Sharon numerous times, police said. She survived only by playing dead, police said.

Chapman went to another bedroom, where he fatally stabbed Chelbi Sharon , 7, police said.

[Admin]

DEFENSE: SUSPECT NOT READ HIS RIGHTS

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
February 25, 2003

Minutes after he helped arrest Marco Chapman at a gas station in Shrewsbury, W.Va., Kanawha County Detective Sgt. Greg Young slipped out to his cruiser and turned on a digital recorder.

So when other deputies brought Chapman -- wanted in Northern Kentucky on charges that he brutally stabbed two young children to death and assaulted their mother and sister -- out to the car, Young was prepared. He already had read Chapman his rights, he said, and now he had an opportunity to question him during the 30-minute drive back to headquarters.

By the time they reached the Kanawha County courthouse in Charleston, Young had what amounted to a 70-page statement about what happened earlier that August day in a small house just outside of Warsaw. The statement has not been made public, but Kentucky State Police have called it a confession.

Young hinted broadly during his court testimony Monday that Chapman had given a broad outline and a chronological account of the double homicide, sexual assault and stabbings that occurred that morning.

But defense attorneys said it doesn't matter what the document contains. They want it suppressed, saying that neither Young nor any other deputy correctly read Chapman his rights, and that Chapman was in no condition to understand or waive those rights to remain silent and have an attorney.

Defense attorney John Delaney expressed surprise during the hearing Monday in Gallatin Circuit Court when deputies said they took no action even after Chapman told them he had been up for two days, snorting coke and smoking crack. The four deputies who testified, all of whom were involved in the arrest, said they saw nothing to indicate that Chapman was stoned, drunk or otherwise not in his right mind.

"He just seemed normal," said Deputy Shawn Layne. "Nothing (was) strange about his appearance."

Gallatin Circuit Judge Jay Bamberger did not rule immediately on the defense motion to suppress the statement and keep it from the jury if the case goes to trial. He gave both sides a month to write additional arguments.

Chapman, 31, of Union, faces two counts of murder, one count of burglary, two counts of attempted murder, one count each of rape and robbery, and being a persistent felony offender in the Aug. 23 attack on Carolyn Marksberry and her children.

Gallatin Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith is seeking the death penalty. No trial date has been set for Chapman, who is being held in the Carroll County Jail on $50 million bond.

Police said Chapman went to the Marksberry home about 4:10 a.m. and asked to use the phone. Marksberry was in the house with her three children; her husband, Chuck, was in Europe on a business trip. Chapman knew the family and had been a frequent guest in their home.

When Marksberry opened the door, Chapman pulled a knife, robbed her, then forced her into the back bedroom, where he tied her up and raped her, police said. Chapman then began to stab her so violently that he broke his knife, stopped, and went to the kitchen for another knife, police said.

When the children awoke to their mother's screams, Chapman led them to the kitchen. There, police said, he stabbed Cody Sharon, 6, to death, and stabbed 10-year-old Courtney Sharon numerous times. She survived only by playing dead, police said.

Chapman went to another bedroom, where he fatally stabbed Chelbi Sharon , 7, police said.

He then took off for West Virginia, where he has family. Kentucky State Police, tipped off to Chapman's possible destination, alerted West Virginia authorities, who obtained a picture and a description of Chapman's truck.

Some eight hours later and 300 miles away, a group of Kanawha County sheriff's deputies pulled off the road in the tiny hamlet of Shrewsbury to check an address. Up ahead, parked in a gas station/market, was Chapman's truck.

Approaching the store, they saw Chapman -- wearing only a pair of blue jeans and a bloody pair of sneakers -- standing at the counter. The group drew their guns.

"We went through the door and ordered him onto the ground," said Sgt. R.D. "Dan" Clarkson. "He complied -- (and) I handcuffed him."

After confirming the suspect was indeed Chapman, the deputies asked him if he was OK, and informed him he was under arrest for two counts of murder. Then Young "bent over and said, 'Listen up,'" Clarkson said. "He advised him of his Miranda rights."Chapman said he understood, Clarkson said.

But Delaney scoffed that one quick reading, "while he was shirtless, face-down and handcuffed,'' was good enough for a waiver of those rights.

Once back at the sheriff's headquarters, Young led Chapman to an interview room. But when he brought out a recorder in preparation for a formal, detailed statement, Chapman asked for an attorney.

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ACCUSED KILLER'S LAWYERS SEEK CHANGE OF VENUE, CITE SURVEY

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
May 31, 2003

Attorneys for Marco Chapman, who stands accused of raping and stabbing a Warsaw, Ky., woman and killing two of her young children in an early morning rampage in her home, say he cannot get a fair trial in Gallatin County.

And they submitted a University of Kentucky survey that showed that 98.9 percent of 193 potential jurors say they think Chapman might be guilty.

The vast majority of people in the county, some 40 miles southwest of Cincinnati, already have concluded Chapman is guilty of the crimes, according to a survey filed with the attorneys' motion in Gallatin Circuit Court.

Compounding the problem for the defense is that many people know Carolyn Marksberry, the victim and mother of the dead children, partly because she was the Warsaw city clerk.

"She is well-known, well-respected and influential in Gallatin County," said the motion, filed by public defenders John Delaney and James Gibson.

The motion asks for a change of venue. Although it does not specifically mention where the trial should be held, the included survey also queried people in Boone County and Lexington.

Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith, who is prosecuting Chapman, said the best way to determine if Chapman can get a fair trial in Gallatin County is to try to seat a jury there. The issue is not whether people heard about the crimes, Smith said, but whether they can set aside that knowledge and render an impartial verdict based on the evidence.

A hearing before Circuit Judge Jay Bamberger is set for Friday.

The survey, done by the UK Survey Research Center, shows that of the 193 people interviewed in three Kentucky counties -- Gallatin, Boone and Fayette -- who said they were at least vaguely familiar with the crime, 191 believed Chapman was probably or definitely guilty. And better than 60 percent of Gallatin Countians said they were very or somewhat familiar with the case. Only 35.8 percent of people in Boone County said they were very or somewhat familiar with the case, and just 12.7 percent of those who live in Lexington gave that response.

According to police, Chapman entered Marksberry's house in the early morning hours of Aug. 23, while her husband, Chuck, was in Europe on a business trip.

Once inside the house, Chapman pulled a knife, robbed Mrs. Marksberry, then forced her into a back bedroom, where he tied her up and raped her, police said. He stabbed her repeatedly, then killed two of her children: Cody Sharon, 6, and Chelbi Sharon , 7.

Their sister, Courtney Sharon, 10, also was stabbed, but survived by playing dead.

Chapman was arrested later that day near Charleston, W.Va.

Chapman, 31, is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count each of rape, burglary and robbery. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

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CHAPMAN'S TRIAL MOVED TO BOONE COUNTY

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
July 3, 2003

Next March, more than 18 months after two of her children were killed and she was raped, robbed, viciously stabbed and left for dead, Carolyn Marksberry hopes to watch as the man accused of the crime goes on trial for his life.

Marco Chapman's trial is scheduled to begin March 1, 2004, in Boone County, one county over from Gallatin County, where the attacks occurred.

Circuit Judge Jay Bamberger agreed to the change of venue Wednesday and also ruled that Chapman, who is being held on a $50 million bond, will be moved from the Carroll County Jail to the Boone County Detention Center.

Immediately after Wednesday's 2 1/2-hour court session, Marksberry and her husband, Chuck -- who have attended every hearing in the case so far -- slipped out a side door of the Gallatin County courtroom. A few minutes later, three armed bailiffs escorted Chapman, handcuffed, shackled and wearing a bright orange jumpsuit, out the back door.

Carolyn Marksberry is "very upset at the way this thing is being dragged out," said Debbie Marksberry, the mother of Chuck Marksberry.

"She just wants to get this behind her, and all they've done is drag it out and drag it out. It's very frustrating for Carolyn and Chuck."

Chapman, 31, is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count each of rape, burglary and robbery. He faces the death penalty if convicted.

According to police, Chapman entered Marksberry's house in the early morning hours of Aug. 23, 2002, while her husband was in Europe on a business trip. Chapman pulled a knife, robbed Mrs. Marksberry, then forced her into a back bedroom, where he tied her up and raped her, police said.

He stabbed her repeatedly, police said, then killed two of her children, Cody Sharon, 6, and Chelbi Sharon , 7. Their sister, Courtney Sharon, 10, was also stabbed, but survived by playing dead.

"I continue to be amazed with Carolyn Marksberry every day," Commonwealth Attorney Linda Tally Smith said after the hearing. "I wouldn't have a fraction -- a fraction -- of the strength she has shown through this."

The Marksberrys have made it clear they want to continue to be at all the hearings and court appearances in the case, Smith said.

"She wants to make sure that Marco Chapman sees her face in the courtroom, and he knows that she is strong enough to handle anything that he pushes her way," Smith said.

Wednesday's hearing was on a motion by defense attorneys to move the trial out of tiny Gallatin County, saying most of the county's estimated 8,000 residents were aware of the case and considered Chapman guilty. Even Smith conceded that trying Chapman in Gallatin County could create an appealable issue that could cause a higher court judge somewhere along the line to reverse any conviction.

So the argument centered on where the trial should be moved.

Smith pushed for Boone County, saying it would be convenient for the Marksberrys and fair to Chapman. The defense's own survey showed that only a small percentage of Boone County's 90,000-plus residents were aware of the case, Smith said.

Defense attorney John Delaney said a survey compiled for the defense by the University of Kentucky Survey and Research Center showed a clear trend that the farther away from Gallatin County, the less likely someone is to know about the case and thus to have formed an opinion.

After the hearing, Delaney said he wasn't surprised by Bamberger's settling on Boone County. But Delaney insisted it will be difficult to seat an impartial jury there.

"In my opinion, Boone County is not far enough away," he said. "It's too close for comfort."

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TRIAL IN TRIPLE SLAYINGS STILL TO START IN MARCH

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
December 25, 2003

Court officials this week re-affirmed that Marco Chapman, who faces a potential death penalty on charges he slaughtered members of a Warsaw, Ky., family, will stand trial in March.

Defense attorneys for the 32-year-old had considered seeking a continuance, saying they have new information and evidence they wanted to check out. But after a brief hearing Tuesday in Boone Circuit Court, they changed gears.

"We're fine with Mr. Chapman's trial date," said public defender John Delaney. "We'll be prepared. We're not asking for a continuance."

The trial will begin March 1 in Boone County, after Judge Jay Bamberger agreed to move it out of Gallatin County because of pre-trial publicity. It is expected to take five to six weeks.

Although Bamberger is retiring Jan. 5, he will remain on the bench until a replacement is appointed, a procedure expected to take several months. But he noted if the trial is delayed much past March, it likely will be under the control of his successor.

Chapman is charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder, and one count each of rape, burglary and robbery. Police say he entered the home of Carolyn Marksberry in the early morning hours of Aug. 23, 2002, while her husband was on a business trip.

He pulled a knife, robbed Mrs. Marksberry, then forced her into a back bedroom, where he raped her, stabbing her repeatedly, police said. He then stabbed and killed two of her children, Cody Sharon, 6, and Chelbi Sharon , 7. Their sister, Courtney Sharon, 10, was also stabbed, but survived by pretending she was dead.

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KY. SUSPECT TRIES ESCAPE - CHARGED WITH KILLING 2 KIDS

Paul A. Long
The Cincinnati Post
January 15, 2004

A man facing trial for killing two Warsaw, Ky., children as well as raping and stabbing their mother tried to escape as he was moved from jail to court Wednesday afternoon.

Marco Chapman had somehow managed to snap open the metal shackle around his right leg. So instead of getting into the white van that would take him across the street from the Boone County Jail to his court appearance in the justice center, Chapman, his hands still cuffed in front of him, decided to run, said Boone County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jack Banks.

Chapman got about 10 yards across the asphalt parking lot before Deputy Sheriff Tom Epperson tackled him in front of several witnesses, Banks said. Within seconds, about a half-dozen deputies surrounded Chapman, re-shackled him, and hustled him back into the van.

Minutes later, three of them half-dragged, half-carried a stunned-looking Chapman before Circuit Judge Jay Bamberger, never leaving his side during the brief hearing.

Bamberger asked Chapman -- who has put on significant weight since he was arrested in August 2002 -- if he thought he could outrun the deputies while wearing handcuffs and shackles.

"It wasn't about speed or trying to get away," Chapman said, before his attorney, John Delaney, told him to be quiet.

Chapman, 32, faces a potential death penalty on charges that he raped and viciously stabbed Carolyn Marksberry and killed two of her young children, Cody Sharon, 6, and Chelbi Sharon , 7. Their sister, Courtney Sharon, 10, was also stabbed but survived by playing dead. Chapman is charged with murder, attempted murder, burglary, rape and robbery.

Banks said a charge of escape will also be filled against Chapman.

During the hearing, Delaney successfully argued for a delay in his client's trial date.

Bamberger said the case will go to trial June 24.

The trial is being held in Boone County after defense attorneys successfully argued that Chapman could not get a fair trial in Gallatin County.