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Joseph eligible for parole this month

Greg Sowinski
The Lima News
07/04/2007

LIMA — Richard Joseph was taken off death row last month and this month he will learn whether he can leave prison as a free man.

Joseph, who originally was sentenced to death for the 1990 murder of Bath High School student Ryan Young, was resentenced last month to 20 years to life in prison. He becomes eligible for parole after serving two-thirds of that sentence, said JoEllen Lyons, a spokeswoman for the state prison system.

Because Joseph’s sentence was changed after a federal judge overturned the death sentence and ordered he be resentenced, he is eligible for parole this month. Joseph will have a parole hearing July 25 at the Ohio State Penitentiary, where he is housed, Lyons said.

A member of the parole board and a parole board hearing officer will meet with Joseph and then decide on parole. If parole is recommended it will be passed to the chairman of the parole board who can approve or reject it, Lyons said.

Other options for Joseph would be not to release him or send his case to the parole board for a review by the majority of the board, Lyons said.

If Joseph were granted parole, he likely would be a free man within a few months, Lyons said.

Allen County Prosecutor Juergen Waldick said he will do everything he can to keep Joseph behind bars.

“We will vehemently oppose any parole,” Waldick said.

When determining whether to grant parole, the parole board officials will look at the crime, Joseph’s behavior in prison and how he responded to programming in prison, Lyons said.

It was just last month that Joseph was back in Allen County to be resentenced for the slaying of Young after a federal appellate court took away the death penalty specification based on the wording of charges in the indictment against Joseph.

Joseph’s co-defendant, Jose Bulerin, who was sentenced to life in prison instead of the death penalty will be eligible for parole in 2010. In Bulerin’s case, the death penalty specification remained part of the charges but a life sentence was chosen instead of a death sentence, officials said.

Joseph and Bulerin kidnapped Young as he left his girlfriend’s house. They took him to an Auglaize County landfill where Young was killed. Young’s body was found buried in the landfill a week after he was reported missing. The murder was over a girl Young was dating who had previously dated Joseph.

[deb]

Please some one explain how a killer put on death row after a fair trial, then taken off death row because of a mix up of words, can go in less then a month to a parole hearing ????? I thought 2010 was when he was allowed to do this. Boy the system just keeps slamming victims and their families more and more. He killed Ryan no remorse and no justice...please join me and others..pray for this Parole Board to do what is RIGHT say NO Parole..they have the power to keep him in prison and that is exactly what should be done. This killer made the choice to do this terrible crime...he does NOT deserve to be given the right to be free and walk among us.

[joshuab1980]

I was a Bath Middle School student when all this went down, and I remember the passion and unselfishness of an ENTIRE community while the searching went on. The news broke that day, and outrage and disbelief took hold of the stunned township and city of Lima in general. I dont wanna see this guy out walking around next month, and neither do you.....lets write some letters!
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- Joshua B

[joshuab1980]