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Thread: 2 teenagers arrested, charged in connection to photographer's (Victoria Schafer, 44) death at Hocking Hills

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    2 teenagers arrested, charged in connection to photographer's (Victoria Schafer, 44) death at Hocking Hills

    https://fox8.com/2019/10/10/2-teenag...hocking-hills/

    LOGAN, Ohio ? Two teenagers have been arrested and are facing charges in connection with a photographer's death at Hocking Hills State Park.

    The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says two teenagers, ages 16 and 17, were arrested Thursday and charged with reckless homicide in the death of 44-year-old Victoria Schafer.

    Schafer was on the stairs near Old Man's Cave taking senior pictures on September 2 around 5:30 p.m., when she was struck by a falling section of tree. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

    Investigators later found evidence suggesting the circumstances surrounding Schafer's death were not a natural occurrence.

    ODNR began investigating the teens after receiving information about their alleged involvement in Schafer's death.

    ?I appreciate the public?s valuable contributions to this case and the perseverance and determination of the investigators,? ODNR Director Mary Mertz said in a press release.

    The teenagers are currently being held at a juvenile detention center in Lancaster, Ohio.

    ODNR says the investigation is ongoing.


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    Two 16-Year-Olds Allegedly Pushed A Log Off A Cliff And Killed A Woman Taking Photos

    https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...log-death-ohio

    Two Ohio teens are facing charges of reckless homicide after a photographer was killed by a falling log last month, authorities said Thursday.

    Victoria Schafer, 44, died on Labor Day after being hit by a falling log in Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio, about an hour south of Columbus, according to the Hocking County Sheriff's Office.

    Schafer, a photographer, had been taking senior photographs for students on the stairs at Old Man's Cave when she was struck by a log in what the sheriff's office said was "not a natural occurrence."

    Detectives received information about the possible involvement of two teens, and said they were able to obtain confessions from the boys, who are both 16 and were not named due to their age.

    Both teenagers are from Logan, and allegedly admitted to forcing a 74-pound log off a cliff, causing it to fall more than 75 feet and hit Schafer, Hocking County prosecutor Benjamin Fickel told local news outlet WLWT5. Calls to Fickel were not returned Saturday.

    The pair were taken into custody Thursday and transported to the Multi County Juvenile Detention Center to await court proceedings.

    Fickel said that the tip investigators received was about a text message one of the the teens sent to a classmate, saying he and a friend had done "something serious at the park."

    “Clearly [they] should have known better than to throw a 74-pound log off a cliff or to push it off a cliff. Whether there was any intention to hurt anyone I really don’t know, I can't speak to that with the information that we have," Fickel told ABC6.

    Fickel said both boys could be charged as adults as more information is gathered in the case.

    The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, whose investigators have been working with other law enforcement to track down tips in the case, did not respond to requests for comment. The Hocking County Sheriff's Office declined to comment further in the case.

    Schafer is survived by her husband and four teen children. Her sister, Catherine Muth, told BuzzFeed News the family will release a statement soon.

    Tara Gillum, a friend of Schafer's, told WLWT5 that Schafer would have advocated for forgiveness in the tragedy.

    "Last night, when people in here were talking about it, that seemed to be the recurring thing was that, ya know, she 100% would've forgiven," Gillum said.

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    Teen pleads guilty to charges after pushing log off cliff, killing mom of four

    https://nypost.com/2020/09/17/teen-a...o-mom-of-four/

    One of two teens accused of pushing a 74-pound log off a cliff that killed a mother of four at an Ohio state park has pleaded guilty.

    Jaden W. Churchheus, 17, pleaded guilty Wednesday in a Hocking County court to involuntary manslaughter in the September 2019 death of 44-year-old Victoria Schafer, the Columbus Dispatch reports.

    Churchheus and another teen, 17-year-old Jordan Buckley, pushed the six-foot-plus log off a cliff at the Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park, killing Schafer, who was taking photos below on Labor Day, investigators from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources have said.

    Two other charges Churchheus had faced — murder and reckless homicide — were dropped as part of a plea agreement, the newspaper reports.

    Schafer, who ran a photography business in nearby Chillicothe, was killed almost instantly, WBNS reports.

    The teens, who were first charged as juveniles, both initially pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder, involuntary manslaughter and reckless homicide, the station reports.

    A judge said he would transfer Churchheus’ case back to juvenile court when he’s sentenced as part of the plea deal. The judge is recommending Churchheus serve at least three years at a juvenile detention facility, according to the Dispatch.

    Churchheus, of Logan, said he was “truly sorry” for his actions during Wednesday’s hearing, which Schafer’s husband attended, WBNS reports.

    “I have thought about the fact that I caused someone’s death every day since it happened, and I will carry that for the rest of my life,” the teen said.

    “I appreciate the kindness of Ms. Schafer’s family, the attorney general’s office and the prosecutor’s office in giving me a second chance.”

    Schafer’s husband, Fritz Schafer, said he planned to speak at the teens’ sentencing hearings.

    Buckley, meanwhile, is set to appear in court on Sept. 25 and is expected to enter a plea under a similar agreement, the Dispatch reports.

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    Little shits. What did the geniuses think was gonna happen?
    Of course, they're white teens named Jordan and Jaden.

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