Local child murderer found guilty today...

**zickig** · May 8th, 2008, 04:19 PM

This is a local story from my town.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/martin050808

Martin guilty of first-degree murder
Observer-Reporter

A Greene County jury convicted Jeffrey Robert Martin on all counts, including first-degree murder and child rape, Thursday morning.
The jury of six men and six women deliberated for just over six hours Wednesday and Thursday before they decided Martin was guilty of raping and killing 12-year-old Gabrielle Bechen of Greensboro over two years ago.

Members of the Bechen family cried quietly as the verdict was read. Martin, 51, of New Geneva did not appear to show any emotion as the court clerk read, “Guilty,” after each of the eight charges against him.

During a court recess, reporters asked Martin if he had any comment, he replied, “Go get it off somebody else.”

The case will now progress to the sentencing phase which began at 11 a.m. today.

Attorneys for the commonwealth will argue that Martin should be sentenced to death by attempting to prove aggravating circumstances surround the girl’s murder. Some of those circumstances may include the rape of the girl.

Meanwhile, Martin’s defense team will attempt to convince jurors that Martin should be sentenced to life in prison because of mitigating factors.

The jury found Martin guilty of first degree murder, aggravated assault, rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, abuse of a corpse and four counts of tampering with evidence.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · May 8th, 2008, 04:32 PM

Meanwhile, Martin’s defense team will attempt to convince jurors that Martin should be sentenced to life in prison because of mitigating factors.

mitigating factors suck. Any clues what they will be (beyond "he had a horrid upbrining", etc? "she asked for it" doesn't count!)

...guilty of first degree murder, aggravated assault, rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault of a child, statutory sexual assault, indecent assault, abuse of a corpse and four counts of tampering with evidence.

abuse of a corpse?

**SqueakyClean** · May 8th, 2008, 06:40 PM

Was he the mom's penis?

**zickig** · May 8th, 2008, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by SqueakyClean

Was he the mom's penis?

No, he worked as a farm hand on a neighbors farm. The abuse of a corpse I think was because he burried her and dumped lye on top of her. I'm not sure what the mitigating factors would be, he used a backhoe to dig the hole to bury the ATV the little girl was on so that should show that he knew what he was doing.

**zickig** · May 9th, 2008, 05:29 PM

Update today...

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/...10-martin-day7

5/9/2008 1:04 PM Email this article • Print this article

Jury imposes death penalty on killer of 12-year-old

After about an hour of deliberation, a Greene County jury has determined that Jeffrey Robert Martin should die by lethal injection for the 2006 murder and rape of a 12-year-old girl.
The Greene County jury convicted Martin, 51, of New Geneva, of murder, child rape and other charges Thursday. The case then proceeded to the penalty phase, with the prosecution presenting aggravating circumstances to the murder, including the fact that Gabrielle Bechen of Greensboro was raped. The defense presented a psychiatrist who testified that Martin’s upbringing included neglect and physcial and mental abuse.

The jury began deliberating at about 2:25 p.m. and returned its verdict at 3:30 p.m.

Martin was a farmhand at a Dunkard Township farm near Bechen’s home where she rode her all-terrain vehicle to visit the horses when she was murdered on June 13, 2006.