New twist to Steffen case
A former Hamilton County coroner's office employee has been accused of abusing the corpse of a murder victim in 1982 in a case that resulted in her killer being sent to Death Row.
Steffen, a door-to-door salesman, was convicted in 1982 of the murder and rape of Karen Range, 19, of Wyoming.
DNA tests showed last year the body fluid inside Range was not Steffen’s.
In Ohio, defendants are eligible for the death penalty only if they are convicted of murder and another crime of violence -- rape, kidnapping or another murder.
Today, a Hamilton County grand jury indicted Kenneth Douglas, 55, of Westwood for gross abuse of a corpse after Douglas was arrested in Westwood on a drug offense. His DNA was taken and it matched the fluid in Range.
Steffen admitted stabbing her to death but always denied raping her.
The difference literally could mean the difference between life and death for Steffen.
That means, Steffen's lawyers argue, Steffen isn't eligible for the death penalty.
