Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office opposes parole for man convicted in 1992 Newton Township murder
The Trumbull County Prosecutor's Office is asking for the Ohio Adult Parole Authority not to grant parole for a man convicted in a 1992 murder in Newton Township.
According to the prosecutor's Office, Christopher Ferrell is currently serving life in prison along with multiple concurrent 10-to-25-year and eight-to-15-year sentences for the aggravated murder of 19-year-old Douglas Lash in Newton Township back in 1992.
Ferrell pled guilty to this along with multiple other unrelated violent offenses like aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and kidnapping in various counties in Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.
Ferrell is up for parole Wednesday September 18, but prosecutors are fighting to make sure he stays behind bars.
Prosecutors say Ferrell was the leader of a gang that predominantly consisted of juveniles breaking into homes, tying up victims and terrifying them with guns.
Prosecutors say when Lash returned home from work on the day of the murder, he found Farrell along with other gang members in the house. Ferrell forced Lash to kneel and shot him in the back of the head "execution style."
Ferrell was just 17 years old at the time, but was less than a week away from turning 18. Assistant Prosecutor Charles Morrow says Farrell didn't receive the death penalty due to him being a juvenile at the time of the crime.
"Christopher Ferrell is a repeat violent offender who was six days shy of being death eligible and in the midst of a two-state multi-county crime spree mercilessly executed [Lash] from point blank range shooting him in the head as he was on his hands and knees," Morrow said.
Trumbull County Prosecutor Dennis Watkins also weighed in describing Ferrell as a "sociopath who needs to be locked up for the rest of his natural life."
"The best proof to justify this recommendation is the actual behavior. With him there is a disgusting overload of it," Watkins said.
Watkins pointed to five recent rule violations committed by Ferrell during his time in prison, as well as his reluctance to comply with corrections officers.