Robert Anthony Buell

Robert Anthony Buell (September 10, 1940 – September 25, 2002) was an American serial killer, child murderer, serial rapist, and former planning department worker from Akron, Ohio. He was convicted of the July 17, 1982 murder of 11-year-old Krista Lea Harrison.[1]

Robert Anthony Buell
Mugshot taken on October 13, 2000
Born(1940-09-10)September 10, 1940
Norwood, Ohio, U.S.
DiedSeptember 25, 2002(2002-09-25) (aged 62)
Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, Lucasville, Ohio, U.S.
Cause of deathExecution by lethal injection
Other namesBob Buell
Criminal statusExecuted
Conviction(s)Aggravated murder
Kidnapping (x3)
Rape (x3)
Felonious sexual penetration (x3)
Felonious assault (x2)
Criminal penaltyDeath sentence
Details
Victims2–3
Span of crimes
1981–1983
CountryUnited States
State(s)Ohio
Date apprehended
1984

Buell was executed by lethal injection on September 25, 2002. His final meal was a single black unpitted olive.[1] In 2010, eight years after his death, he was found to have also killed Tina Marie Harmon.[2]

Murder cases
Police sketch of Buell at the time of Krista Harrison's abduction on July 17, 1982
Main article: Murder of Krista Harrison

On July 17, 1982, Buell was reportedly seen abducting Krista Harrison in a park in Marshallville, Ohio. Harrison's body was found six days after her kidnapping. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled. Two other young girls have been thought to have also been victims of Buell: Tina Marie Harmon, age 12, murdered in 1981; and Deborah Kaye Smith, age 10, murdered in 1983.[3]

Although strong evidence is present linking Buell to all three cases, Buell was only charged with the murder of Krista Harrison.[3] He has since been linked by DNA evidence to Tina Harmon's murder.[4] Buell was also a serial rapist. In 1983, Buell raped and tortured a woman who was able to escape and notify police, an event that ultimately led to his arrest.[5] He also raped another woman. Buell pleaded no contest to these crimes and received a 121-year sentence.

Buell was sentenced to death for Krista Harrison's murder on April 11, 1984. Eighteen years later, on September 25, 2002, he was executed by lethal injection, still denying involvement in the Harrison murder.[6]

This case was presented as "Material Evidence" in Forensic Files, season 5, episode 8, made before Buell's execution. Information regarding the 2010 DNA match was later added to the end of the episode.

See also

References
  1. "Robert Anthony Buell #801". ClarkProsecutor.org. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  2. "ExecutedToday.com » 2002: Robert Anthony Buell". Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  3. "Family of Tina Harmon, abducted and killed in 1981, wants police to reopen the case". IndeOnline.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
  4. "DNA proves Robert Buell killed 12-year-old Tina Harmon girl in 1981". IndeOnline.com. Archived from the original on January 12, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2014.
  5. "Robert Anthony Buell". ClarkProsecutor.org. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  6. Gillespie, Charley (September 26, 2002). "Buell put to death". The Times Recorder. p. 4. Retrieved December 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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