The tragic and horrific killing of Bearnhardt and Cora Hartig in April of 1990 is the subject of the documentary “True Crime Story: It Couldn’t Happen Here,” which airs on AMC+. The couple was discovered by the son of their neighbor who was visiting their ranch in Portage County, Ohio.
Before the police were able to definitively identify the offender, they had to investigate a number of possible leads and acquire pertinent information. This program breaks down the facts in a clear and lucid manner, taking viewers on a journey through the intricate investigation process. If you are interested in discovering the identify of the offender as well as their location at the moment, we have you covered. Then, shall we dive right in, Shall we?
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Bearnhardt And Cora Hartig: Death Cause Of The Couple
Bearnhardt Hartig was the son of George Hartig and Rachel Bevans Hartig. He was born on September 22, 1908 in Frostburg, which is located in Allegany County, Maryland. Cora Arnold Hartig’s parents, Lloyd A. Arnold and Susie A. Baker Arnold, gave birth to her in 1909 in Avilton, which is located in Garrett County, Maryland. They had their wedding and then relocated to a ranch in the county of Portage, Ohio, in the United States. They were in their early 80s but still quite energetic people who led an active and cheerful life after retirement despite their advanced age.
Therefore, the neighbors began to feel suspicious when they discovered that the Hartigs’ lawn tractor had been parked in their yard for two days while the old couple had not been seen. During this time, the neighbors did not see the Hartigs.
On April 7, 1990, the son of the neighbors, James Davis, went over to check on them and found that the garage door was open. When he entered the house, he was taken aback to see the couple’s lifeless bodies lying on the floor of their kitchen. When law enforcement officers arrived at the scene, they were greeted by the stench of rotting flesh and discovered 10 empty Winchester.25 caliber cartridge casings laying next to the dead that were still wearing their clothing.
Cora had internal injuries as a result of gunshot wounds to the chest, according to the findings of the medical examiner, who determined that she had been shot a total of five times. Bearnhardt Hartig was found dead from “several visceral injuries” and bullet wounds to the right side of his chest, according to the autopsy results.
Hartig had been shot three times before he passed away. The medical examiner came to the conclusion that the fatal rounds had been fired from a distance of at least more than “one and one half to three feet” due to the absence of any stippling or gunpowder residue in the victim’s body.
Details Of The Murderer Of Bearnhardt & Cora Hartig
Tyrone Noling, Butch Wolcott, Joseph Dalesandro, and Gary St. Clair were taken into custody by the Alliance, Ohio, police on April 9, 1990, and charged with various counts of robbery in the city of Alliance. Tyrone is said to have confessed to another inmate, Paul Garner, that he was responsible for the deaths of the Hartigs while he was in captivity.
Paul testified that Tyrone told him that he did not intend to murder the couple but had no alternative when Gary accidentally spoke his name in front of the victims. According to Paul’s testimony, Tyrone told him that he did not intended to kill the pair.
According to the allegations, Tyrone stated, “I didn’t mean to do anything. This just took place. The lady said, “I am aware of your identity.” But he rejected the claims to the cops, and he even reportedly stated that he was being framed for the murder of the elderly couple by his accomplice, Gary. On April 5, 1990, between the hours of 3:30 and 4:00 in the afternoon, the four convicted individuals had driven to the county of Portage, which is located in the state of Ohio.
Bearnhardt had been mowing the lawn outside at the time that Tyrone and Gary had broken into the Hartig home while brandishing a.25-caliber semiautomatic and a shotgun. Bearnhardt had been surprised by the two men’s presence.
As a result of the testimony of witnesses, it was also discovered that Butch and Joseph were in the Hartigs’ driveway around twenty to thirty minutes into the robbery when they heard the sound of gunshots and the cry of a woman. The cry was then followed by another round of gunshots, and after that, there was complete silence. After a brief period of time had passed, Tyrone and Gary hurriedly got into the car, and the four of them quickly drove away.
Current Location Of Tyrone Noling
In a trial that took place in 1992, all of the charges that were brought against Tyrone were dropped; nonetheless, he was indicted by a grand jury in August 1995 for the killings of the Hartigs. All of the counts against him have gun specifications, including those for aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and two counts of aggravated felony murder.
He was indicted on all of these charges. In order to get the indictment, the State had to present the testimony of the investigating officers as well as the testimony of some of Tyrone’s former acquaintances and co-defendants.
In 1996, a jury determined that Tyrone was responsible for all of the charges against him and sentenced him to death. However, the Ohio Innocence Project asserts that the authorities lacked any physical evidence linking Tyrone to the murder of the elderly couple.
In addition to this, they claimed that the detectives had used undue pressure to obtain statements from Tyrone’s accomplices, all of whom had subsequently changed their stories after the trial. In the years that have passed since then, numerous appeals on behalf of Noling have been lodged, including one with the Supreme Court of Ohio, but they have all been rejected.
In recent years, the case of Tyrone, who was wrongfully convicted of a crime, had been taken up by the Ohio Innocence Project, which is a program of the University of Cincinnati College of Law. Convicts who, the organization believes, were unfairly convicted as a result of their investigation into the crimes and testimony given in court receive legal representation from the organization.
Tyrone was awarded a partial victory in March 2022 when the 11th District Court of Appeals granted him and his defense counsel access to papers that reportedly contain “evidence his trial attorneys were never given.” This was Tyrone’s first triumph since his initial arrest. The official court documents indicate that the individual, who is now 50 years old, is currently being held on death row at the Chillicothe Correction Institution, which is located in Ross County, Ohio.
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