Solved case · 1999
The short answer
In May 1999, two Franciscan University students, Aaron Land and Brian Muha, were kidnapped from their Steubenville, Ohio apartment, driven to Washington County, Pennsylvania, and shot to death.
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Suggest coverage for Franciscan University murdersOn May 31, 1999, Aaron Land, 20, and Brian Muha, 18, students at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, were kidnapped from the street-level apartment they shared with fellow student Andrew Doran. At approximately 5:00 a.m., Nathan "Boo" Herring and Terrell Yarbrough, both 18 and residents of the Steubenville area, broke into the apartment and beat Land and Muha with a pistol before demanding the keys to a Chevrolet Blazer parked outside. Doran, awakened by the noise, escaped through a window and called police after briefly encountering one of the intruders.
Herring and Yarbrough forced Land and Muha into the Blazer and drove toward Pittsburgh, stopping in Robinson Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania. There, Herring shot and killed both victims. The perpetrators took Muha's ATM card and cash before returning to Pittsburgh, where they attempted unsuccessfully to withdraw money. They then went to the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh, where they attacked Barbara Vey in her apartment stairwell and stole her car; Yarbrough reportedly intervened to stop Herring from shooting her, and Vey survived and later reported the attack to police.
Police located the stolen Blazer that evening; Yarbrough was captured after a brief chase, while an associate, Brandon Young, evaded capture initially but was apprehended on June 2, along with Herring. The bodies of Land and Muha were recovered on June 4, 1999, after an extensive search.
Prosecutors chose to try both defendants once each in Ohio rather than pursue separate trials in Ohio and Pennsylvania, citing efficiency and consideration for the victims' families. Herring was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in August 2000; Yarbrough was convicted and sentenced to death in September 2000. In 2004, the Supreme Court of Ohio overturned both men's murder convictions, ruling that the murder charges should have been tried in Pennsylvania, where the victims' bodies were found, while upholding their Ohio convictions for kidnapping and robbery. Both men were extradited to Pennsylvania for further proceedings on the murder charges.
In response to the ruling, Ohio enacted "Brian and Aaron's Law" in April 2005, permitting prosecution in Ohio of murder cases that begin in the state even when related criminal activity occurs elsewhere. Yarbrough's new murder trial began on October 26, 2009, in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and he was sentenced to life in prison. Herring pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment on July 8, 2010.
Brian Muha parks his mother's Chevrolet Blazer outside the Steubenville, Ohio apartment he shares with Aaron Land and Andrew Doran.
Nathan Herring and Terrell Yarbrough break into the apartment, kidnap Land and Muha, drive them to Washington County, Pennsylvania, and shoot them to death; the perpetrators also steal a car from Barbara Vey in Pittsburgh.
Police apprehend Brandon Young and Nathan Herring.
Bodies of Aaron Land and Brian Muha are found after an extensive search.
Nathan Herring is convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Terrell Yarbrough is convicted and sentenced to death.
Supreme Court of Ohio overturns the murder convictions, ruling the murder charges should have been tried in Pennsylvania, while upholding Ohio convictions for kidnapping and robbery.
Ohio enacts 'Brian and Aaron's Law' allowing prosecution of murder cases that begin in Ohio but involve related conduct in another state.
Terrell Yarbrough's new murder trial begins in Washington County, Pennsylvania.
Nathan Herring pleads guilty and is sentenced to life imprisonment.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
20-year-old Franciscan University student kidnapped and murdered on May 31, 1999.[3]
Attacked and robbed of her car in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, by the perpetrators; survived the attack.[3]
18-year-old Franciscan University student kidnapped and murdered on May 31, 1999.[3]
Convicted in Ohio in 2000 of related offenses (murder conviction later overturned); pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania and sentenced to life imprisonment on July 8, 2010.[3]
Convicted and sentenced to death in Ohio in 2000 (murder conviction later overturned); retried and sentenced to life in prison in Pennsylvania following an October 2009 trial.[3]
From the record
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