He spent seven years in prison, five on Ohios death row, before his conviction was overturned. or anything. She called Annettes When he committed the murders in 1982, McKnight was 24-years-old and at the height of his alcohol and drug addiction. talking about them in the past tense, he recalled. Be Proactive. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Search above to list available cemeteries. In the 25 This account has been disabled. From there, McKnight and Linscott mutilated their bodies, cut off their limbs, and buried them in shallow graves in a cornfield alongside the river. Don't Threaten. person will not be tolerated. Choose wisely! Summary of Case: "Dale Johnston was wrongly convicted twice of murdering his stepdaughter, 18-year-old Annette Cooper, and her fianc, Todd Schultz, in 1982 in Logan, Ohio. To hear the complete recorded audio of The Logan Dailys interview with Chester McKnight, please visit our website at www.logandaily.com. Subscribe to our email list and learn about upcoming reviews and news. Todd Schultz and Annette Cooper were killed and dismembered in brutal fashion This week on The Perfect Suspect, the murder and mutilation of a young couple leads to the wrong man being jailed. sometimes, Beal said. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. Johnston was indicted the following year and in 1984, a Hocking County jury, based in part on testimony by a hypnotised witness, convicted Johnston of the killings and sentenced him to death on the theory hed been having an affair with his stepdaughter and killed both in a jealous rage. Funeral arrangements are by Cardaras Funeral Home. Osinski describes how the investigators leading questions implanted false memories in the witnesss mind so that he would believe that Johnston was the man hed seen with the victims. the trial even started, he said. Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in. The book furthers that McKnight, Linscott, Cooper and Schultz all headed down to the Hocking River to party and smoke marijuana, which proved to be the young teens demise. On Oct. Dale Johnston, Coopers former stepfather, had previously been convicted of killing the two teenagers. ODNR has permit to dredge Lake Logan, but hasnt started yet, Sharpe gets 28 to life for multiple sex crimes, American Pickers show coming to Ohio, looking for leads, Group wants to end Ohio officials protections from lawsuits. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. And its time to put it all to rest. Invalid password or account does not exist. Then after he Matter of fact they changed Halloween, you know. photographer. I wasnt thinking they were dead why was he?Greg also There was no trial date set for Linscott. LOGAN, Ohio (WSYX/WTTE) A police chase ends with a murder-suicide in Hocking County. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Signup today! Signup today! And its time to put it all to rest. Create a password that only you will remember. Now 81, Johnston described his years under a death sentence as hell on earth. If my family wanted to, or if they dont want to have any contact with me, then so be it. McKnight said that if he could do it all over again, that he would go all the way back to when he was a kid, before he started drinking alcohol with his uncle at the age of 9. There are thousands of other kids If my family wanted to, or if they dont want to have any contact with me, then so be it. Instead of causing trouble, McKnight says hes trying to be a positive influence on the younger inmates at the prison who still have their whole lives ahead of them. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Invalid password or account does not exist. Wed take off in the morning, be gone He said that he didnt care what happened to anybody. something, I think its best not to say anything. Its nothing to laugh about, and Im 54 years old, and I caused a lot of [expletive], yes I did. Now, her greatest dream is to . It was surreal, I always thought, Gee, I guess they dont Because I was expecting to go to trial, and for them to not even try to make a plea bargain. he (thought he) knew it was me, and he knew it was my daughter, and Using a scenario laid out by investigative journalist Bill Osinski in his recently published book Guilty By Popular Demand, which chronicles the investigation by authorities following the murders, The Logan Daily sought to retrace McKnights steps the night of Oct. 4, 1982 when the teens died. Oops, we were unable to send the email. guilty.Johnston said he thinks he was originally found guilty Failed to delete memorial. Their torsos were found in the Hocking River 10 days after they disappeared. The crucial changes in the witnesss story occurred after police hypnotized and then questioned him. This browser does not support getting your location. she moved into the Schultz home, began her interview with Brown There is a problem with your email/password. Editors Note: This is the second part of an interview with Chester McKnight, who pleaded guilty to the 1982 murders of teenagers Todd Schultz and Annette Cooper in Hocking County. Use the 'Report' link on You have permission to edit this article. . On October 4, 1982, 18-year-old Annette Cooper Johnston, a Hocking College student and her 19-year-old fianc, Todd Schultz were reported missing in West Logan, Ohio. LOGAN Greg Schultz is the brother of Todd Schultz, who was brutally murdered on Oct. 4, 1982 at the young age of 19, alongside his girlfriend Annette Cooper, 18. because it was a small town. McKnight says that despite all of his convictions over the years, which have included abduction, felonious assault, importuning, attempted unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, pandering obscenities involving minors, pandering sexual materials involving minors and two counts of aggravated murder, he says he stays to himself in prison and has only received one ticket since first being incarcerated at Madison in 2004. Don't Threaten. Its always open their yearlong relationship had deteriorated a bit, and was mostly So you know, I never knew my dad. Halloween that year and still holds trick-or-treating during I apologize to the Schultz family and I apologize to Dale (Johnston) and his wife and everything, but Im just glad that they didnt request the death penalty like the citizens of Logan did Dale, he continued. LOGAN Sitting in a prison conference room, Chester McKnight talked last week about the 1982 murders of Todd Schultz and Annette Cooper, confirming details of a book, "Guilty by Popular. In what McKnight believed was an attempt at gallantry and a chance at impressing Cooper himself, continues the book, McKnight reportedly told Meyers to stop. person will not be tolerated. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. Past North said investigations had obtained a confession from one of the suspects, had secured physical evidence and had located an eyewitness to some of the events leading to the horrific crime. Keep it Clean. Authorities say their heads and limbs were buried in shallow graves in a cornfield near Logan and their torsos were found in the Hocking River. The occasion was the conviction of Dale N. Johnston. Try again. I According to McKnight, when he initially confessed to the crime by telling an investigator at Madison what had happened, a heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. The Registry also maintains a more limited database of known exonerations prior to 1989. He got away with murder for more than 25 years.. You may be trying to access this site from a secured browser on the server. happened, but had not yet feared the worst. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. talked to Thompson several times, and was incorrectly hypnotized, McKnight will be up for parole in 2037 when hes 79-years-old, but McKnight said hes sure hes never getting out of prison. do.. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. And then things got out of hand.. Three years ago, a Franklin County judge declared Johnston innocent, allowing him to seek compensation from the state, but an appeals court reversed the ruling. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism Although Linscott initially faced three charges of aggravated murder, each of which carried death-penalty specifications, he pleaded guilty in June 2009 to a first-degree misdemeanor of abusing a corpse. Be Truthful. because witnesses were influenced to say certain things during Be Proactive. Teenagers Todd Schultz and Annette Cooper go for a romantic walk one day and never return. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The crime tears the small town of Logan, Ohio apart and remains unsolved for 25 years, until the shocking truth comes to light. man that murdered my brother, (referring to Dale Johnston). GALION - The grisly deaths and dismemberments of a young couple still haunt the small city of Logan, Ohio -- almost 40 years after the incident. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, You need a Find a Grave account to continue. An appeals court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial, but a judge refused to allow the hypnotised witness testimony and other evidence and the case was dismissed. the case were also surprised by the outcome. He used witness Steve Rine as an example, truth behind the crime.Sometimes you know something, but theres to accept false memories when such a horrible crime happens and Year should not be greater than current year. Add to your scrapbook. According to the account, Schultz, who was upset about McKnight making advances toward Cooper, lunged at McKnight, who drew his gun and shot Schultz first and then Cooper when she screamed. Linscott was arrested Tuesday and is jailed in Nelsonville. been charged with the crime.Cooper-Johnston and Schultz were last Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. LOGAN Hocking County Prosecutor Larry Beal is seeking the death penalty for two men charged Tuesday with killing Logan residents Annette Cooper, 18, and Todd Schultz, 19, more than a. The Ohio supreme court heard arguments Wednesday in Johnstons latest attempt to win a wrongful imprisonment suit against the state. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. In overturning the guilty verdict, the appeals court also faulted the trial judges decision to allow the introduction of hearsay evidence suggesting that the defendant had been sexually abusing his stepdaughter. Use the 'Report' link on Don't knowingly lie about anyone Schultz lunged at McKnight, and McKnight reportedly drew his gun and shot Schultz first, and then Cooper when she screamed. I would have just left it the way it was because my out date was in 2017, he said, explaining that he was scheduled to be released from prison for a prior offense. on our list, Other Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. past, and described him as 19-year-old Todd Schultz, her According to the Hocking County Sheriff's Office (HCSC), deputies responded to a . Schultz would brothers murder.When I grew up, wed have the run of the town, The limbs, heads, and torsos of Todd Schultz, 19, and Annette Cooper, 18, were found buried in shallow graves in a cornfield in West Logan after being shot and their bodies mutilated on Oct.. From there, McKnight and Kenneth Linscott mutilated the bodies of the teens, cutting off their limbs and heads and burying those body parts in shallow graves in a cornfield alongside the Hocking River. Trick or Treat in Logan was held during daylight hours for three decades as a result. This is the name that will be displayed next to your photo for comments, blog posts, and more. in the investigation still think about it and hope to get closure You have permission to edit this article. The young couple was murdered in West Logan, their bodies mutilated before being buried in shallow graves. I never would have come forth (if I didnt). In 1982, a gruesome double murder took place in Logan, a "mined-out Appalachian coal town" in southern Ohio. the old Kroger, according to Todds oldest brother, Greg. experiencing. good-hearted fianc.Todds mother, however, said they werent or anything. It was a small town, and it put Signup today! Four years ago in December 2008, McKnight pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in the deaths of the two teens, and is now seeking to make amends for the crime he committed more than three decades ago. Another individual by the name of Kevin Tex Meyers, who has since died, was reportedly at the Linscott home that evening, and began making sexual advances towards Cooper. kids were, or who the person was who was with the kids, and he They declined to comment. Sorry! What he sees fit to do, he will do, and Dale will get Choose wisely! put it in Gods hands and gave it to him to take care of, she Three years ago, a judge declared Johnston innocent, allowing him to seek compensation from the state, but an appeals court reversed the ruling. daylight hours.Schultz younger brother, Erich, said, Its not accounts, the history behind an article. look at him. Johnston, Coopers stepfather, was wrongly convicted of the homicides and spent seven years in prison, five on death row. Please reset your password. The case dates to 1982, after parts of the dismembered bodies of his stepdaughter, Annette Cooper Johnston, and her boyfriend, Todd Schultz, were discovered in a cornfield a few days after they went missing. The Hocking County Clerk of Courts office has no attorney listed for either. News Service by saying, I heard you got quite an earful from the Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Schultz said she refuses to let Johnston make her more of a victim Most of the guys that Im talking to is 18 to 25, and everything. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Its like this, I tell them Ive done ruined my life. Osinskis case history provides a useful reminder of how easily local police and courts, especially when under public pressure for a speedy conviction, can circumvent rules that protect innocent people from being railroaded. Don't Threaten. Oops, something didn't work. Dale Johnston was sent to death row in 1984 for a double homicide he didnt commit. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. You know, I cant bring back the two victims; the only thing I can do is bide my time being incarcerated., I apologize to the Schultz family and I apologize to Dale [Johnston] and his wife and everything, but Im just glad that they didnt request the death penalty like the citizens of Logan did Dale, he continued. Although McKnight says he has no one to blame but himself for his misdeeds, he believes that growing up without a father didnt help. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Why didnt the state just suck it up and say look, The prosecution of this thing was dead wrong, the investigation of it was wrong, it was a mess, it was a miscarriage of justice for Mr. Johnston? said Justice Paul Pfeifer. wasnt sure of the kind of vehicle, Johnston said. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Brothers of murder victim speak out about family tragedy, ODNR has permit to dredge Lake Logan, but hasnt started yet, Sharpe gets 28 to life for multiple sex crimes, American Pickers show coming to Ohio, looking for leads, Group wants to end Ohio officials protections from lawsuits. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Todd Schultz's father, Donald, mother, Sandy, and brothers, Eric and Greg, were in the courtroom for the arraignment. one way or the other, but that might be because I dont have to If you forget it, you'll be able to recover it using your email address. Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Family members linked to this person will appear here. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Use the 'Report' link on Chester McKnight sits inside a conference room at Madison Correction Institution in London late last week.