Murder of Justin Back
On January 28, 2014, 18-year-old Justin Michael Back (February 13, 1995 – January 28, 2014)[1] was murdered in Waynesville, Warren County, Ohio. Austin Gregory Myers (born January 4, 1995)[2] and Timothy E. Mosley (born October 11, 1994)[3] were convicted of murdering Back at his family home in order to steal a safe from the house. The case received national media attention because of the discrepancy in sentencing of the two young offenders.[4]
Justin Back | |
|---|---|
| Born | Justin Michael Back February 13, 1995 |
| Died | January 28, 2014 (aged 18) |
| Cause of death | Stab wounds |
| Resting place | Miami Cemetery Corwin, Warren County, Ohio, U.S. |
| Known for | Murder case |
Background
Myers and Back had attended the same middle school together and were childhood friends in seventh and eighth grade. Back was a 2013 Waynesville High School graduate, and prior to his murder, was about to enter the Navy.[5] According to Mosley's statement, Myers had asked Mosley if he wanted to make some money. Mosley was interested and the pair discussed whether to rob a drug dealer or the stepfather of Back, Mark Cates. Myers knew that Cates had a safe containing money and a gun that was left in the family home. Myers believed Cates kept a total of $20,000 dollars in his safe. The two drove to Back's home in Waynesville planning to rob the safe, but upon arriving, they realized Back was home so decided against it. The two left and discussed how they could acquire the money. Myers allegedly came up with the idea of killing Back. Eventually, Myers decided on strangling Back with a wire and then declared he and Mosley could take the safe, planning on making it look as though Back had stolen the safe and run away from home. Myers bought a three-foot length steel cable and two metal rope cleats. His intent was to fashion a garrote, or "choke wire", as Mosley referred to it. They assembled the garrote and planned to carry out the murder the following day.[6]
Murder
On the morning of January 28, 2014, Myers and Mosley purchased septic enzymes, ammonia, septic tank cleaner and rubber gloves. They then drove to Back's home and arrived around 1:00 p.m. The plan was for Myers to distract Back while Mosley strangled him with the garrote. Mosley armed himself with the garrote as well as a six-inch pocketknife. Myers knocked on the door of the family home and Back let the pair in. The three men talked for a while and afterwards Back went to the kitchen. Seeing the opportunity, Mosley attacked Back from behind and attempted to strangle him, while Myers held Back from the front. Back fought against them and the three men struggled, resulting in all of them falling down onto the kitchen floor. Realizing the wire was wrapped around Back's chin instead of his neck, Myers notified Mosley. A panicked Mosley then pulled out his knife and stabbed Back from behind. Afterwards, Myers placed the garrotte around Back's neck while Mosley stabbed Back in the chest. Back was stabbed a total of 21 times, killing him.[7]
After Back died, Mosley and Myers searched for the safe, which they found in a closet. The safe however was locked. Myers also found a handgun in the home belonging to Cates which he loaded. The pair returned to the kitchen where they attempted to clean up the crime scene using the ammonia. They wrapped Back's body in a blanket and put it in the trunk of Mosley's car. They then ransacked the house, taking the safe as well as some jewelry and credit cards. Myers also filled some bags with Back's clothing. They loaded everything into Mosley's car and left the house around 2:00 pm.[6]
Aftermath
While driving, Mosley became paranoid about being followed, so he took side roads to a remote area, where he parked and checked the outside of the car for blood. Myers searched for Back's wallet, which he located in one of the bags. The wallet contained more than $100, which Myers took. The two then drove back to Mosley's house where they unloaded items from the car to Mosley's bedroom. Together, they dragged the safe up the stairs and then changed their clothes. Mosley proposed dumping the body near West Alexandria, as he knew the area well. They decided to hide the body behind a log in a field near the village of Gratis in Preble County. Mosley drove into the field, stopping about 20 feet from the log. The pair carried the body to the log and laid it on the ground. Myers then poured ammonia and septic enzymes onto the corpse, which was still clothed and partly wrapped in the blanket. According to Mosley, Myers wanted to shoot the body, so Mosley got the stolen gun from the car and handed it to Myers, who fired two shots into Back's body. The gun jammed on the third shot. Myers cleared the jam, ejecting the bullet to the ground, where it was later found by the police.[6]
After they hid the body, Myers suggested they kill Cates to make it look as if he had killed Back and disappeared. Deciding against it, the men drove to a park in Brookville, where Mosley tossed Back's laptop into a dumpster. They bought a crowbar in Englewood and went back to Mosley's house to crack open the safe. Instead of the $20,000 that Myers had promised, the safe contained some paperwork, loose change, bullets, gun accessories, as well as other random items. Myers and Mosley separated out items that they thought they could sell. Afterwards, they burned the papers, several trash bags containing evidence of the crime, and their bloody clothes in a fire pit in the back yard. Myers and Mosley put everything from the house and safe that looked valuable into a bag. They then drove to Tipp City where they threw Cates's safe into a river.[8]
Investigation
Cates came home from work around 3:30 p.m. realizing that a table had been moved and that some rugs were missing. Later, he and his wife found that Cates's safe and handgun were missing. They called police and tried to contact Back, but discovered his cell phone was in the house. During the ensuing investigation, officers obtained a description of a car that had been seen outside Back's home. Cates also told police that Myers had visited their home the day before in that same car. Warren County sheriff's detectives searched for Myers and the suspicious vehicle. The car was located by Clayton police, who detained Myers at Mosley's house and notified the Warren County detectives. Detectives interviewed Myers at Clayton police station on January 29. Myers denied knowing anything about Back's disappearance or the burglary at Back's home. After the interview, Myers was taken back to Mosley's house, and Mosley was taken to the station for questioning. When the detectives finished talking with Mosley, he was returned to his house also. Based on what they learned, the detectives had Clayton police officers arrest Mosley and Myers and return them to the station. The detectives again interviewed Mosley and then Myers.[6]
Myers eventually admitted that he had been present when Mosley stabbed Back. He said that when he had gone to hang out with Back on January 28, he did not know that Mosley was going to kill Back, nor did he know why Mosley had killed Back. Myers denied shooting Back's body, claiming instead that Mosley had done that. When the detectives interviewed Mosley, he confessed to the crime. Following Mosley's confession, the detectives interviewed Myers again, who changed his story. This time, he admitted shooting the body and acknowledged buying the materials to make the garrote. He continued to deny that he had restrained Back during the murder. The same day, Preble County sheriff's deputies found Back's body. A Montgomery County coroner autopsy determined that Back had died of multiple stab wounds.[6]
Trial
The case received attention because Mosley, who used the knife to murder Back, received a sentence of life without parole because of a plea bargain, while Myers received a death sentence.[4][9] Myers became the youngest inmate on death row in Ohio at the time. The murder caused proposed changes in Ohio state law to increase penalties for murder, named "Justin's Law" after Back.[10] Back is buried in Miami Cemetery in Corwin, Warren County, Ohio.[1]
Myers was sentenced to death at the age of 19 on October 17, 2014. He is currently on death row awaiting execution and is imprisoned in Chillicothe Correctional Institution.[2] Mosley was sentenced to life in prison on November 14, 2014. He is imprisoned in Ross Correctional Institution.[3]
Media coverage
The case also received international coverage with the BBC covering it as part of a series on capital punishment in the United States.[11] The case was featured in series 2 episode 3 of the BBC documentary television series Life and Death Row.
See also
References
- "Justin Michael Back memorial". Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- "AUSTIN GREGORY MYERS". Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- "TIMOTHY E MOSLEY". Ohio Department of Rehabilitation & Correction. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- Kristine Guerra. "Ohio's youngest death row inmate never touched the murder weapon. Why was he sentenced to death?". Washington Post.
- "Convicted killer Austin Myers asks Ohio Supreme Court to overturn death sentence". WCPO-TV. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- "State v. Myers" (PDF). Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- "Ohio's youngest death row inmate, 19, never touched murder weapon. Why was he sentenced to death?". National Post. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- Rachel Richardson. "Judge hands down 'hopeless' life sentence to killer". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- Lawrence Budd. "Plea agreement reached in death penalty case". Dayton Daily News.
- Jessie Balmert. "House passes 'Justin's Law' to increase murder penalties". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- "Truth, Series 2, Life and Death Row - BBC Three". BBC Three.