OHIO STATE HIGHWAY REPORT OF INVESTIGATION

OHIO STATE HIGHWAY REPORT OF INVESTIGATION

(NEW DRAFT)

Post: 31 Cinti Ops Case No. 00-12129-0831 Pouch No. 31-432 Date 11-13-2000
Subject. 110-Homicide: Warren Correctional Institution (inmate on inmate)


11-14-2000

0030 Hours

I was paged at my home to call Post#83, Lebanon. Dispatcher Travis informed me that there had been a homicide at Warren Correctional Institution (WCI) and I needed to respond for investigation.

0127 Hours

I arrived at WCI and was escorted back to Unit 1A. I was informed of the following time line prior to my arrival:

23.57hrs 11/13/00 C/O Kohlhurst, unit 1A discovered victim unresponsive and bound in his bunk in cell #127

0001hrs WCI notified Ohio State Patrol (OSP)

0007hrs Warden Brigano was notified

0010 hrs Trooper Waulk (U-1014, P-83) first OSP unit on scene

0025hrs Sgt Adams (U 310,P 83)first OSP supervisor on scene

0040hrs Dr Young County Coroner was contacted

0105hrs LT Hale U 99,P 31 and Trooper Slusher U 1583,P31 arrived at scene.

0115 hrs Dr Young arrived at scene

0127hrs victim pronounced dead by Dr Young


When I arrived at cell #127. the victims body was still bound to the upper bunk. Trooper Slusher and Prison Investigator Mark Stegemoller took photographs while I initiated an Investigative Field Sketch of the cell. The victim’s body was face up towards the ceiling with the head at the end of the bunk closest to the door. The victim’s body was bound in a 4 point restraint. The binding material was torn pieces of cloth that appeared to be from a bed sheet. The material that bound the hands ran from the right wrist into a hole under the bunk, across the bottom of the bunk under the mattress and through another hole, and then to the victim’s left wrist.
The material that bound the feet was applied the same way- it ran from the right ankle into a hole under the bunk, across the bottom of the bunk under the mattress and through another hole, and then to the victims left ankle. Strips of cloth were also around the victim’s neck, with knots tied and positioned over his Adam’s apple. There were two lines of straight line bruising on the victim’s head that appeared to be the same distance apart as the metal bars of the head of the bunk. There was also an obvious narrow line of bruising on each side of the victim’s neck.
The cause of death appeared to have been strangulation.

There was a pillow and a towel lying next to the victim. Two blankets were also draped over the mid section of the victim’s body. It is unknown if any of the items were used in the commission of the crime. Other miscellaneous items in the cell are documented in the Investigative Field Sketch.

Two items in the cell appeared to have importance in the investigation.
The most important was the laundry bag located under the bottom bunk. It was a white mesh bag containing dirty laundry and a torn bed sheet. The sheet appeared to be the one that the strips were torn from and used to bind and strangle the victim. The torn edges on the sheet were frayed the same as the strips of cloth, and the color appeared the same off white with a yellowish cast to it. The other bed sheets in the cell were all whiter than the one found in the laundry bag.

The second item of importance was the garbage bag hung in the corner of the cell. The garbage bag contained a sealed kite that was dated 11-10-00 addressed to Major Mockabee. It was from the suspect and was apparently never sent. The bag also contained what appeared to be a score sheet (which was later found to be from a card game played by the victim and suspect)

While Trooper Slusher and I performed the investigation of the cell, SGT Adams and Trooper Waulk conducted interviews with the other inmates housed on 1A in the Protective Custody Segregation Cell Locations.

0251 Hours WCI made notification to the victim’s next of kin. An Aunt of the victim.

0315 Hours (0312 hours per the WCI Disposition of the Body/Certificate of Removal Form), the victims body was released to Jim Hoskins from Oswald Hoskins Funeral Home.

0330 Hours. The suspect, Timothy Hancock, was treated at the WCI infirmary for an injury to his right hand. The suspect claimed that his injury was sustained from hitting the victim. The injury was a swollen right hand with tenderness over the 5th metacarpal. The nurse’s assessment was that the suspect had a possible fracture of the 5th metacarpal. A splint with an ace wrap was applied to his right hand. The suspect remained on the medical ward.

0345 Hours. Trooper Slusher and I interviewed the suspect, Timothy Hancock. Before taking his statement, the suspect was read and shown the HP-70G (Constitutional Rights Waiver). Mr Hancock stated that he understood his rights and signed the waiver form. The suspect’s highest completion of education is a 12th Grade GED (Graduate Equivalent Diploma)
The suspect was also informed that his statement was being tape recorded, including his waiving of his Constitutional Rights. He was very calm and cooperative, and gave a detailed statement, confessing the murder of Jason Wagner. Mr Hancock admitted that he had strangled the victim to death after tying him in a 4 point restraint. He stated that he strangled the victim using strips of the bed sheet wrapped around the victim’s neck, adding knots to the area of the Adam’s Apple to add extra pressure. The suspect described how he sat on the floor at the head of the bunk, pulling down on the lengths of cloth in order to apply the pressure needed to strangle the victim. The suspect also added that he had put the bed sheet that he had torn the strips of cloth from into the laundry bag under the bunk. (Please refer to the transcription of Tape #1 for further details)

0450 Hours SGT Gary Lewis, Public Information Officer for the Ohio State Patrol, was contacted to prepare a press release about the incident.

0507 Hours WCI made notification to the victim’s grandmother at the Riverside Hospital in Columbus Ohio.

0600 Hours I attended the out brief that Warden Brigano gave to the night shift staff prior to their departure from WCI

0815 Hours I relayed all rolls of film and the computer disc from the digital camera to Lt Hale (U-99) who, in turn, hand delivered the items to Major M. E. Quinn (U-811) for direct transport to the OSP General Headquarters Photo Lab.

0830 Hours While en route to the Montgomery County Morgue to view the autopsy, I called the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office to inform them of the nights events at WCI. I was referred too Assistant Prosecutor Scott Male. Scott advised me to contact him again after the autopsy.

0900 Hours I observed the autopsy of the victims body performed at the Montgomery County Morgue by Dr Kent E Harshbarger. The autopsy confirmed that the cause of death was strangulation. During the autopsy, the victim was checked for any evidence of sexual activity: there was none. Bruising to the neck and facial area was also noted by the Deputy Coroner, which confirmed the suspects claim that he struck the victim several times with his right hand and forearm.

1300 Hours I called the Warren County Assistant Prosecutor, Scott Male, for his advice on filing charges against the suspect, Timothy Hancock. The prosecutor advised me that since the suspect is already incarcerated and obviously not at any risk of fleeing anywhere, he did not want to rush anything. He advised me to get everything together, including all photo’s and transcripts of the interviews with the suspect, and then we would present it directly to the Grand Jury for Indictment.

11-17 2000

1315 hours Sgt Ertel (U49, P31) and I interviewed the suspect again at the suspects request at Lebanon Correctional Institution, he was transferred LCI from WCI for protective purposes. The suspect had additional information for us. The suspect was again informed of his Constitutional Rights and was read and shown the HP-70G Constitutional Rights Waiver. Mr Hancock stated that he understood his rights and signed another waiver form. The suspect was also informed that his statement was being tape recorded. Mr Hancock stated that he had tricked the victim into letting him put the victim in the 4 point restraints. He stated that he had told the victim that he wanted to be transferred to another institution, and wanted to stage a fake hostage situation. The victim volunteered to be his hostage victim, and even helped the suspect tear the strips of cloth off of the bed sheet used for the restraints. The victim voluntarily laid in the upper bunk and allowed the suspect to restrain his hands and feet. Mr Hancock added that when he started to put the strips of cloth round the victim’s neck, the victim stated, “Oh shit! You’re going to kill me aren’t you?” The suspect then told the victim that he had tricked him like he had tricked the little girl, and began to apply pressure round the victim’s neck. Mr Hancock stated that the victim never had a chance to scream or yell for help. In his statement, the suspect stated that he had “executed” the victim for what he did to the little girl. When asked how long he had thought about killing Jason Wagner before he strangled him, the suspect replied, “about 4 or 5 hours.” (please refer to the transcription of tape #2 for further details)