It's About Time!

Judge sets trial date for Denny Ross

AKRON - A Sept. 8 trial date was set for Denny Ross, who is accused of beating and raping a woman while free on bond in the 1999 slaying of Hannah Hill.

Ross, 25, was in Summit County Common Pleas Court for a pretrial hearing Tuesday before Judge James Murphy.

His attorney requested that his $50 million bond be lowered, and Murphy referred the case for review by the county probation department. A decision may come later this week.

The Springfield Township man was indicted last month on charges that he raped a 32-year-old woman at her Akron home. The woman suffered a broken jaw during the attack, police said.

Ross is charged with attempted murder, rape and kidnapping. He has pleaded not guilty.

At the time, he was free on a $1 million bond and under indictment for Hill's strangulation death. His trial in 2000 for the slaying ended in a mistrial and the case has been under appeal ever since.

[Goose]

I find the fact that this guy was allowed out on bail for $1,000,000 incredible....and now its $50,000,000 to be honest your American legal system confuses me (not hard, I know). Surely if it was thought/known that this guy was a danger to Society he should have been remanded in custody...not released to ruin some womans life.

Q. How the hell does he come up with 50 million ?

[caristo]

I am an American and I sure the heck don't understand it Goose. It seems the criminals are getting more rights than the victims.

Goose, it happens all too often here. Sad but true-

[Goose]

well surely that makes your Justice system as guilty as the guy himself .
Over here we call it bail (never for that much though) a few times people have been released on bail when they were clearly a danger, have reoffended and the people responsible have been crucified ( not literally ) .

As Brazenfemme said you can usually tell a persons intention by getting to know them. Maybe the Courts need to look into a persons character before they consider them for bail .

[Asphodel]

I think that recieving bail should depend on the crime accused. No one should recieve bail if it is a case like this. A minor case should recieve bail with the ammount of money varying each case due to the severety of the crime accused. No money for the most serious, more money for the moderate crimes, and less for the simple ones.

[Goose]

you see ?? if right thinking people were actually put in charge of the Courts all these crimes could easily be avoided.

[Asphodel]

There is nothing to strike fear into criminals anymore, so they just continue with it. There is no threat of discomfort, solitude, or even torture or painful death anymore. Lol. People might do less if they were scared. Though some of these people have no fear, I think if the others were scared that less crime would occur.

[Goose]

its rather like a never ending circle, they should be scared but they are not...so whats the answer ? what is the perfect deterrent ? There has to be an answer somewhere.
I can think of only one, but as you say...even that doesn`t scare them anymore.

[Bailey]

By Beacon Journal staff

POSTED: 11:12 a.m. EST, Feb 10, 2010

The Ohio Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal of prosecutors trying to seek the death penalty against Denny Ross for the 1999 slaying of Hannah Hill.

Prosecutors are appealing last summer's ruling by the 9th District Court of Appeals that let stand a visiting judge's ruling acquitting Ross of rape and a death penalty specification in connection with the Hill slaying.

Regardless of the Supreme Court's decision, prosecutors still intend to retry Ross on murder charges for the Akron woman's death.

They can seek the death penalty only if the Supreme Court reinstates the rape charge.

Ross, 30, is imprisoned at the Trumbull Correctional Institution. He is serving a 25-year sentence for unrelated convictions of attempted murder, rape and felonious assault in connection with a 2004 attack on another Akron woman that occurred while he was free on bond.

The long-running legal battle began in October 2000, when Ross's Summit County capital murder trial ended abruptly in a mistrial over alleged juror misconduct after the panel already had voted to acquit him of aggravated murder, murder and rape.

Later, the Ohio Supreme Court appointed visiting Judge Joseph Cirigliano to review the case. He ruled in February 2002 that Ross could not be brought to trial again, citing the constitutional protection against being tried more than once for the same crime.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned that decision in January 2009.

Cirigliano also granted a defense motion to dismiss the rape charge and the accompanying death penalty specification. Prosecutors appealed that decision to the 9th District court. The court ruled against prosecutors, setting up the appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Hill, 18, from the Kenmore area of Akron, was a friend of Ross and had visited his Canton Road apartment on the night she disappeared, May 19, 1999. Her body was found in the trunk of her car in the Ellet area a week after her mother reported her missing.

While Ross was free on bond after the mistrial, he was arrested for the 2004 attack on the other Akron woman.

http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/84020257.html