Posted on 03/21/2006 1:38:11 AM PST by beaversmom
BATAVIA, Ohio -- A man who neighbours say was devoted to his meticulously kept lawn is charged with murder in the shooting of a 15-year-old boy who apparently walked across his yard.
Charles Martin, 66, of Union Township, near this city about 30 kilometres east of Cincinnati, shot next-door neighbour Larry Mugrage in the chest with a shotgun about 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. The youth was pronounced dead at hospital.
Martin was being held without bond yesterday in Clermont County Jail. Police said he told them he had several disputes about neighbours walking on his lawn. But Union Township police Lieut. Scott Gaviglia said Martin had no criminal history and last called police in 2003.
Martin called 911 on Sunday, saying in a calm voice: "I just killed a kid."
He also tells the dispatcher: "It's been going on for five years ... I've been harassed by him and his parents for five years. Today just blew it up."
STUNS NEIGHBOURHOOD
The deadly shooting stunned those in the neighbourhood and students at Glen Este High School, where Martin was a freshman, and grief counsellors were on hand yesterday.
"I think there's a great deal of shock, for two reasons: because of the age of the victim and just how this occurred, killed over some grass," Gaviglia said.
Neighbours said Martin lived alone quietly, often sitting out in front of his one-storey home with its neat lawn, well-trimmed shrubbery and flag pole with U.S. and navy flags flying.
In his fenced backyard, he had several birdhouses and a shed painted like a small red barn with white trim.
When my wife hangs up my shirt the buttons face left, when I hang them up, the buttons face right; the hanger always goes in open end first.
Yep. Fighter pilot, Squadron Commander, 385th Bomb Group, WWII. That was the easy part. The hard part - sainted father of four girls.
We live in a very secluded area. Anyone who would walk down our driveway at night, which is dark and long and has overhanging trees would have to be a nut. But....it has happened! Amazing how stupid some people are. There is no way I'd approach a house like our without invitation, but some do.
In Kalifornia we CAN'T "self segregate." I live in a Condo with no play areas (it was designed to be adults only) so we have to deal with kids running in the common areas and in the driveways.
Someday one of the little brats is going to be run over. And I will have to pay, despite the fact it is against the rules for them to play there.
I should bring a class action suit for freedom of association under the 1st Amendment.
Is your real name Hank Hill? : )
No, it is not apparent. You don't have the whole story, only the statement of someone who claims he was harrassed for a long time. This same person reacted by murdering a 15 year old. Do you actually think his statement is credible? You also do not know how this senior behaved toward this punk. If you have more than just misguided assumptions then bring it. And please spare me the ...I knew of this situation where... stories.
We really need to change our laws and make this sort of event a likely outcome when abusing the rights or property of others.
Please write back and tell us all this is a typo, and you are not really this much if an a$$.
How's your gig line?
Unfortunately, freedom of association is a liberty that has fallen out of favor with liberals and neo-conservatives. The New Deal era laws that protected labor unions and compelled membership therein was a major blow to that freedom. The civil rights era struck another blow, and the expansion of laws prohibiting discrimination by race or nationality to public accommodations and housing to include family status, sexual orientation, etc., has even further weakened this right. Even private associations like country clubs are placed under pressure, both social and legal, to end discriminatory practices.
It may be in your best interest to look into the laws in other states, where legislation or judicial fiat has not overcome restrictive covenants. To paraphrase a 1980s country song, happiness is California in the rear view mirror.
Unrelated story but some nieghbor kids about 16 years old were out in our condo driveway writting their initials with gas and lighting it. I watched them for a few minutes and went outside to ask them what they were doing. They were pretty sheepish that they had been "caught" but really did not think they were doing any harm. To a degree it really was just harmless fun but I told them they should knock it off before someone called the cops or freaked.
I guess my point is that by talking to them as someone who had done stupid things himself at their age made it easy for them to realize just how stupid they were being.
Good kids but they just were not thinking.
This story was on my local news. The police acknowledged that the man had come into the police station at one point to discuss the problem of neighborhood kids trespassing on his property. I believe the news report did say that this kid was not the one involved in that "report" (might not have been a formal complaint, perhaps just getting advice on what to do...it wasn't clear.
All the neighbors knew that this man was nutty about his lawn. So why wouldn't you just tell your kid to stay the hell away from the old man's property? The kid didn't deserve to be shot, but sometimes young and dumb has consequences all of us can learn from.
I'm not familiar with crime scenes, but when this was shown on the news, there were 20 small, numbered cards standing up in various places. Wouldn't the police be marking gun casings or something? Maybe the guy only HIT the kid twice but shot at him 20 times?
Odd. I always thought that "beating the crap out of someone" WAS "physical violence".
"The hard part - sainted father of four girls."
HA! That's ALWAYS the hard part. Little girls capture a Dad's heart in no time.
He sounds like an incredible guy. We need more like him.
Sure, sprinklers look good in theory, but there's a better than even chance that the modern-day sweet, innocent skullfull of mush will not be scared off like a little bunny rabbit.
Best case - he will go tell mommy and daddy how you assaulted him with water. Worst case - he will smash the sprinklerhead, your car window, and poison your dog when you're not looking.
No, they're not all like this. But there are enough to make your life miserable.
Yeah, yeah - I check that too. LOL! How's yours?
37 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Just try to follow the rules, guys. Especially the ones written in red.
I saw the picture of this guy's lawn; it was no show piece. Even if it was I suggest this was all about his ego; those punk kids damn well better show me some respect or I'll fix em good! My unfounded speculations are at least as good as yours, and I'm speaking up in favor of a trespasser rather than a murderer.
And BTW, the additional information you have provided… at best it adds nothing to the contention that this guy had any justification for his action, and at worst suggests he was over reacting against this kid based on what others had done.
Hey, howzabout I apply that logic? Seeing as I am here in NY deep behind enemy lines and surrounded by liberals who are bereft of any reasoning skills I can just FEEL my rage building…. I may just SNAP at any moment and come after... YOU!
I teach my kids to respect other people and their property because it is what is right, not because an old wack job may shoot them. And if someone is looking for parents that didn’t raise their kid well I would be looking for the ghost parents of Mr. turf builder before the parents of this kid.
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