A 17-year-old boy admitted guilt Wednesday for pushing a log off a cliff at Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park, resulting in the death of a Chillicothe woman on Sept. 2, 2019.
Jaden W. Churchheus pleaded guilty in Hocking County Common Pleas Court to a charge of involuntary manslaughter for causing the death of Victoria Schafer, 44, a married mother of four.
As part of the plea agreement, murder and reckless homicide charges were dropped.
The co-defendant in the case, Jordan Buckley, 17, is scheduled to appear Sept. 25 in Hocking County Common Pleas Court and is expected to enter a plea under a similar agreement.
Churchheus and Buckley are accused of pushing a more than six-foot-long log weighing 74 pounds off a cliff at the top of stairs at the Old Man’s Cave in Hocking Hills State Park, according to investigators with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Schafer, who was taking photographs at the foot of the stairs to Old Man’s Cave below, suffered a fatal blow when the log struck her, ODNR said. Schafer was well known around Chillicothe for her photography business.
The two teens were originally charged in Hocking County Juvenile Court, but the case was transferred to the Hocking County Common Pleas Court so the teens could be tried as adults.
As part of the plea agreement, Hocking County Common Pleas Court Judge John T. Wallace agreed that he would transfer Churchheus’ case back to juvenile court for sentencing at a later date.
Wallace is recommending that Churchheus serve a minimum of three years and up to 4.5 years in an Ohio juvenile detention facility.
On Wednesday, Churchheus spoke to the court and according to WBNS 10TV, he said the following:
“That day at Old Man’s Cave, I never would have imagined that my actions would result in this. I have thought about the fact that I caused someone’s death every day since it happened, and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. I appreciate the kindness of Ms. Schafer’s family, the attorney general’s office and the prosecutor’s office in giving me a second chance. I realize that nothing I say can bring Ms. Schafer back, but I am truly sorry.”
This report is from The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA Today network
This story has been updated to add video.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Teen pleads guilty in death of woman killed by log in Hocking Hills
Reporting by Jim Woods / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
