Robert Cordell

Case details

Robert Cordell was an Ohio man who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 81 years to life in prison on October 1, 2002.

Timeline

• April 2, 2002 — Firefighters found the bodies of Mayor Frank Carnevale, 72, and his ex-wife Rita Bushman, 68, after neighbors reported a basement fire at Carnevale’s home in Reading, a Cincinnati suburb.
• April 13, 2002 — A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Robert Cordell, 42, for aggravated murder and other charges, and he was to face a death penalty if convicted.
• October 1, 2002 — Robert Cordell pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 81 years to life in prison.

Background

Robert Cordell was 43 at the time of his arraignment, and the indictment identified him as 42. Robert Cordell had previously lived with Kathleen Cordell, 40, who was his former sister-in-law.

Mayor Frank Carnevale, 72, was the former mayor of Reading. Carnevale’s ex-wife, Rita Bushman, was 68.

The offence

Robert Cordell pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated arson for killing former Reading mayor Frank Carnevale, 72; Carnevale’s ex-wife Rita Bushman, 68; and Cordell’s former sister-in-law Kathleen Cordell, 40.

Investigators said Robert Cordell killed Frank Carnevale by shooting him 12 times while Carnevale was sleeping in a recliner at his home.

Investigators said Robert Cordell killed Rita Bushman by shooting her in the head four times after she went to investigate shots fired in the house.

Police said Cordell strangled Kathleen Cordell with whom he lived the previous day, then shot Carnevale because Carnevale declined to loan his truck to him.

Police also said Cordell strangled Kathleen Cordell because she confronted him after he stole medicine from her.

Authorities said Robert Cordell set two fires at Mr. Carnevale’s house on April 2 in what they said was an apparent attempt to cover up the shootings there.

Investigation

Firefighters found the bodies of Frank Carnevale and Rita Bushman after responding to a report of a basement fire at Carnevale’s home in Reading.

Police said they suspected Robert Cordell with the death of his former sister-in-law, Kathleen Cordell, and they were awaiting autopsy results before filing charges. Lt. Scott Snow said:

"He'll definitely be charged in that case if the cause of death is found to be other than natural, which we believe it is,"

Kathleen Cordell’s body was found later in the home she shared with Robert Cordell after he was questioned by police in the slayings of his neighbors.

Arrest

Robert Cordell was arraigned on aggravated murder and aggravated arson charges and held on $2 million bond.

Trial

A trial date was to be set after his arraignment.

Cordell’s guilty pleas avoided a trial scheduled for Oct. 28 in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.

Sentencing

On October 1, 2002, Robert Cordell pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 81 years to life in prison immediately after his guilty pleas.

Prosecutors initially said they wanted to try Cordell and obtain death-penalty convictions. They did not say in court why they agreed to the plea deal and dropped the death-penalty specifications, but they said relatives of the victims agreed to accept the plea arrangement.

Judge Steven Martin approved the arrangement because he believed it would keep Cordell imprisoned for life. The relatives of the victims applauded when the judge said Cordell should never be released.

Robert Cordell had said he remembered almost nothing of the killings because he suffered blackouts, and he said he couldn’t explain why he killed the three people.

Outcome

Robert Cordell’s guilty pleas and sentence ensured he would spend the rest of his life behind bars for his three-person killing spree.

Other details

Authorities charged Robert Cordell with aggravated robbery as part of the indictment.