Show notes
Nobody Would Miss Them: The Craigslist Murders of Richard Beasley
In 2011, Richard Beasley of Akron, Ohio was convicted in the homicide investigation surrounding the murders of Ralph Geiger, 56, David Pauley, 51, and Timothy Kern, 47 — three men lured to a remote Noble County location through a fraudulent Craigslist job posting, then shot and buried in shallow graves. A fourth victim, Scott Davis, 49, survived a gunshot wound and escaped through the Ohio woods after dark, triggering a digital forensics investigation that ultimately put Beasley on death row.
Here's what makes this one different: Richard Beasley was not a ghost. He was the large, white-bearded man everyone in Akron called Preacher Rich. He spent years sitting across from vulnerable people in jail visiting rooms and courtroom hallways, making himself indispensable to them, so he could eventually burn it all down when the moment was right. These three men were chosen. Beasley sat across from them in restaurant booths and ran actual interviews, screening for whoever had the fewest people who would notice if they vanished. This is a story about economic desperation, a career con man's patience, and a survivor named Scott Davis who refused to die alone in the dark.
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In 2011, Richard Beasley of Akron, Ohio was convicted in the homicide investigation surrounding the murders of Ralph Geiger, 56, David Pauley, 51, and Timothy Kern, 47 — three men lured to a remote Noble County location through a fraudulent Craigslist job posting, then shot and buried in shallow graves. A fourth victim, Scott Davis, 49, survived a gunshot wound and escaped through the Ohio woods after dark, triggering a digital forensics investigation that ultimately put Beasley on death row.
Here's what makes this one different: Richard Beasley was not a ghost. He was the large, white-bearded man everyone in Akron called Preacher Rich. He spent years sitting across from vulnerable people in jail visiting rooms and courtroom hallways, making himself indispensable to them, so he could eventually burn it all down when the moment was right. These three men were chosen. Beasley sat across from them in restaurant booths and ran actual interviews, screening for whoever had the fewest people who would notice if they vanished. This is a story about economic desperation, a career con man's patience, and a survivor named Scott Davis who refused to die alone in the dark.
🔔 Subscribe for True Crime Cases multiple times a week
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Check out True Crime Blueprint, also created and hosted by Joe.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/43zuDpH01HtdIrH0ShCAid?si=86b2281063334139
Apple Podcasts:
