OHIO MURDERER ASKS TO END APPEALS ... THEN CHANGES MIND

“Go ahead and kill me.” This was part of a rambling, hand-written letter that convicted double murderer Shawn Ford recently wrote to Tom Parker, a federal magistrate and former Summit County judge who presided over Ford’s trial. Ford was sentenced to death in June 2015.

Court officials interpreted Ford’s letter as a request to cease his appeals — and schedule his execution date.

Ford’s public defenders, however, told visiting judge Richard McMonagle on Wednesday morning during a brief court session in Summit County Common Pleas Court that they met with Ford and he wants to continue his appeals.

“Ford is depressed,” said Rachel Troutman, an assistant state public defender. “He did not understand his letter would be interpreted as a motion.”

Request to be pulled

McMonagle said Ford’s request will be withdrawn and his appeals will continue.

Prosecutors didn’t object to the judge’s decision to allow Ford’s appeals to proceed, though they pledged to continue to represent the victims, Jeffrey and Margaret “Peggy” Schobert of New Franklin, who were beaten to death with a sledgehammer in April 2013.

“Our main goal has always been to fight for Jeff and Peg Schobert,” Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said in a prepared statement. “Shawn Ford was convicted of beating them to death — and needs to be held accountable.”

Ford, 23, was convicted of the slayings of the Schoberts, the parents of his then-girlfriend, Chelsea Schobert. Ford was 18 at the time and was accompanied by Jamall L. Vaughn, then 14, who was sentenced to life in prison. The teens walked 8 miles from Akron to reach the Schoberts’ home.

At the time of the assault. Chelsea Schobert, then 18, was in critical condition with injuries from a knife attack by Ford days earlier. Prosecutors say Ford killed the Schoberts because the couple planned to end his relationship with their daughter.

Ford apologized and cried during his sentencing, saying, “I messed up. I made a mistake.”

Parker followed the recommendation of a Summit County jury and sentenced Ford to death. He said he took into account Ford’s young age and “difficult upbringing,” which included personality problems, a broken home, domestic violence incidents and learning difficulties. The judge, however, said the evidence showed Ford “demonstrated a carefully thought-out and calculated plan” to kill the Schoberts.

Debt for crime

In the June 25 letter Ford wrote to Parker, Ford said he owes the Schobert family. He said he doesn’t think he will win his case and doesn’t see the point in continuing his appeal process, which is currently before the Ohio Supreme Court.

“(I) just don’t want to do 20 years just to get killed when they can kill me within the next 5 years or now,” Ford said in the letter, which is mostly devoid of punctuation or capitalization. “(I) wish (I) can switch places with other guys that got dates.”

Ford concluded his onepage letter by saying he hopes it makes everyone happy that he’s giving up.

“(Y)ou guys win,” he wrote. “(G)ive me a date and lets (sic) roll with it.”