Jury finds Ritchey guilty of murder, not guilty of aggravated murder in ‘Geauga’s Child’ case
CHARDON, Ohio (WOIO) - The murder trial in the high-profile “Geauga’s Child” case came to an end after the jury found Gail Ritchey guilty of murder and not guilty of aggravated murder.
Ritchey, the woman who authorities alleged was responsible for the murder of her newborn son, did not testify in her own defense.
Judge David Ondrey sent the jury to deliberations at noon Monday, after the prosecution and defense finished their closing arguments.
The jury returned from deliberations a little before 5:30 p.m. on April 4.
Ritchey was taken into custody shortly after the deliberations were read.
Geauga County Sheriff Scott Hildenbrand confirmed that Ritchey is being held at the Geauga County Jail.
Ondrey did not confirm a date for sentencing.
**19 News will be providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the “Geauga’s Child” trial**
Much of the witness testimony centered around whether or not the child was born alive.
Defense lawyers argue the baby was stillborn, while the prosecution maintains he was born breathing.
Court records show Ritchey is charged with murder and aggravated murder in connection to the decades-old crime, which authorities said was solved using DNA testing.
The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office said Ritchey confessed to giving birth to the baby, putting him in a plastic bag, and abandoning him in a wooded area in Thompson Township in March 1993.
The baby was found dead with its umbilical cord still attached by two newspaper delivery drivers in the middle of Sidley Road.
The Geauga County Sheriff’s Office said the baby was missing an arm and a leg, possibly mauled by animals and dragged into the road before the discovery.
Residents of Geauga County paid for a funeral and gravestone for the baby they called “Geauga’s Child.” Many still visit his grave to this day.
Authorities said Ritchey is currently married to the father of “Geauga’s Child” and has three adult children.
Ritchey hid the pregnancy from her family and the child’s father, according to the Geauga County sheriff, which is why nobody else is facing charges in connection to the murder.
Despite her confession to detectives, Ritchey pleaded not guilty during her initial arraignment.
Ritchey also admitted to detectives that she committed a similar crime two years prior to the birth of Geauga’s Child in Cuyahoga County. That case is still under investigation.
Return to 19 News for updates.
Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.
