Charles McCoy

Background

Charles McCoy Jr. was an admitted highway shooter in Ohio.

His defense attorney Drew Haney said McCoy did not “pick” schizophrenia and that “It picks you.”

The offence

McCoy carried out 23 shootings in 2003 and 2004. The shootings took place over five months in 2003 and 2004, and killed the only person struck by one of his bullets.

The shootings included:

• May 10: A 37-year-old woman ran out of gas around 4 a.m. in the westbound lanes of I-270 east of I-71. After walking for help, she returned to find the car’s windshield shot out and the hood damaged.
• Aug. 31: A 41-year-old woman from Akron found a bullet hole in the back of her horse trailer hours after driving on eastbound I-270.
• Oct. 10: A woman driving north on U.S. 23 north of I-270 had a flat tire; she did not know the tire had been shot until she took the flat to be repaired.
• Oct. 11: A 36-year-old man was driving about noon along I-270 when a bullet struck the rear side panel of his Nissan Sentra and exited through the rear window, shattering it.
• Oct. 19: Truck driver William Briggs, 56, of Hilliard, turned north onto westbound I-270 off of U.S. 23 at about 11:30 p.m. and had driven about a mile when the driver’s side window exploded.
• Nov. 11: A bullet broke a window at 1:35 a.m. at Hamilton Central Elementary in Obetz, about 3/4 of a mile from the freeway.
• Nov. 15: A passer-by noticed a bullet hole in a van parked at a used car lot on U.S. 23, just over a mile north of I-270.
• Nov. 17: A United Parcel Service truck was eastbound on I-270 around 11 a.m. between Parsons Avenue and U.S. 23 when the driver reported hearing a noise; a bullet hole was found in the door behind the driver’s seat.
• Nov. 18: A woman was driving a Ford Explorer around 9:30 p.m. on U.S. 23, north of Rathmell Road when a bullet struck the driver’s side door.
• Nov. 21: Edward Cable, 53, a retired prison guard from Lucasville, reported bullet fired into his minivan about 7:40 p.m. on U.S. 23 south of Rathmell, 1.5 miles from I-270.
• Nov. 25: Gail Knisley, 62, of Washington Court House, was killed about 10 a.m. on I-270 near I-71 when a bullet ripped through the driver’s door of the Pontiac Grand Am driven by a friend. Four hours later, near the same spot, a GMC Jimmy driven by a 26-year-old man from Orient, just south of Columbus, was struck near the left rear fender. A tractor-trailer driver for Coca-Cola Co. reported finding a hole in the rear door of the trailer after making deliveries along I-270 between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Nov. 30: Phylis Cramer said she was driving on I-270 eastbound between I-71 and U.S. 23 when she heard a thud sometime between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.; she noticed a bullet hole when she arrived home.
• Nov. 30-Dec. 1: Emma Fader reported that between 11 p.m. Nov. 30 and 3:30 p.m. Dec. 1 someone shot the front of her house at 1798 Lisle Ave. near I-270; she found a bullet hole in her living room floor.
• Dec. 15: Ronald Edwards, 48, heard three shots about 12:30 a.m. at his house on 901 Brown Road, about two miles north of I-270; a bullet was found in a bathtub, and two bullet holes were found in the front of the house.
• Dec. 15-17: A South-Western city school bus was shot on Brown Road near Ransburg Avenue at about 4:20 p.m.
• Dec. 17: A second South-Western bus was shot about 7 a.m.
• Jan. 11: A man reported a bullet struck the hood of his car about 2:15 a.m. while driving on the stretch of I-270; bullet fragments were found in the hood, and the car’s windshield was cracked.
• Jan. 22: Michael Thomas, 30, reported that a shot that cracked his windshield about 12:45 a.m. on I-71 came from a highway overpass; he said he saw a person standing in the shadows in front of a parked car on the overpass.
• Feb. 3: A bullet pierced the windshield of a van about 2:10 p.m. while traveling on I-71 about 15 miles south of I-270; a bullet fragment from the dashboard was a ballistic match.
• Feb. 8: A van and a Mercedes were shot within minutes about a mile apart from overpasses on Interstate 71 in Jeffersonville, about 40 miles south of Columbus. Douglas Berry, the driver of the Mercedes, described the gunman as a middle-aged white male, with a medium build. Another motorist described seeing a black sports car on an overpass when the shootings happened about 11:30 a.m.

Investigation

The defense, prosecution, and Schneider believed McCoy suffered from schizophrenia.

Trial

McCoy had a first trial that ended in a mistrial due to a hung jury in May.

McCoy dropped an insanity defense and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and 10 other charges.

Schneider read the charges aloud to McCoy in court and asked whether McCoy understood the plea. McCoy answered, “Yes, your honor,” when Schneider went through the charges.

Sentencing

Judge Charles Schneider sentenced McCoy to 27 years in prison.

Schneider said:

“I have an additional duty, or a primary duty, of making sure Mr. McCoy understands the agreement,”

Before the hearing, Franklin County prosecutor Ron O’Brien said:

“What we try to do in a case like this is have it be such that there's a bit of control over the length and where and you can't control it by not guilty by reason of insanity,”

McCoy would likely be sentenced to a prison that has a mental health wing, possibly the state prison in Lima.

McCoy spoke about his sentence, saying:

“It's pretty scary,”
“I guess it's the best alternative I have. From my attorneys, I've learned that (because of) my actions, it'd be kind of like if I went to a mental hospital, I'd have to stay there for either a really long time or I wouldn't get out at all for fear that something like this may happen again.”

After reading his apology, McCoy broke down and could not finish his handwritten statement. Defense attorney Drew Haney read the remainder of the message.

McCoy apologized to the families of Gail Knisley and Mary Cox. The apology included:

“First, I would like to say I’m sorry to the Knisley family (and) for the loss I caused them,”
“I'm sorry to Mrs. Cox. When I heard that 911 tape, I felt the pain they suffered.”

Defense attorney Drew Haney read the remainder, which included:

“I'm sorry to the others and their families who I shot at and almost hit,”
“I would also like to apologize to the community for the fear that I caused during this time. I wish I could take back what happened. I can't, and I'm sorry for causing the Knisley family to lose a wife, mother and friend. I hope in the future, people can learn from my illness and my mistake of fighting treatment to hopefully prevent this tragedy from happening.”

Appeals

McCoy avoided a second trial.

A new trial had been scheduled for September, and the plea agreement avoided it.

Outcome

The plea helped McCoy avoid a second trial following the mistrial due to a hung jury in May.

Dropping the insanity plea ensured McCoy avoided the death penalty, which he had faced in his first trial.

Knisley’s husband Ronnie Knisley said he was trying to move on, stating:

“Just ask yourself, if it was your mother, father, daughter, husband or son, would you be happy with what happened? You just have to accept it and move on,”

After sentencing, tearful Cox said she would never forget her best friend, Gail Knisley, stating:

“I did feel like he was trying to think of everything he's done to everybody,”
“I lost my best friend and I just can't forget her. She was everything to me.”

Timeline

• Nov. 25, 2003 — Gail Knisley, 62, was killed about 10 a.m. on I-270 near I-71; four hours later a GMC Jimmy was struck near the same spot.
• May 10 — A 37-year-old woman ran out of gas around 4 a.m. on westbound I-270 east of I-71; her windshield was shot out and the hood was damaged.
• Aug. 31 — A 41-year-old woman from Akron found a bullet hole in the back of her horse trailer after driving on eastbound I-270.
• Oct. 10 — A woman driving north on U.S. 23 north of I-270 did not know her flat tire had been shot until it was repaired.
• Oct. 11 — A 36-year-old man’s Nissan Sentra was shot on I-270, shattering the rear window.
• Oct. 19 — William Briggs, 56, had his driver’s side window explode on westbound I-270.
• Nov. 11 — A bullet broke a window at Hamilton Central Elementary in Obetz.
• Nov. 15 — A van at a used car lot on U.S. 23 north of I-270 had a bullet hole noticed.
• Nov. 17 — A UPS truck on I-270 had a bullet hole found behind the driver’s seat.
• Nov. 18 — A woman driving a Ford Explorer had a bullet strike the driver’s side door.
• Nov. 21 — Edward Cable, 53, reported a bullet fired into his minivan on U.S. 23 south of Rathmell.
• Nov. 30 — Phylis Cramer heard a thud and later noticed a bullet hole on I-270 eastbound between I-71 and U.S. 23.
• Dec. 15 — Ronald Edwards, 48, heard three shots and found a bullet in a bathtub and two bullet holes at his home.
• Dec. 15-17 — A South-Western city school bus was shot on Brown Road near Ransburg Avenue.
• Dec. 17 — A second South-Western bus was shot about 7 a.m.
• Jan. 11 — A man reported a bullet struck the hood of his car and bullet fragments were found; the windshield was cracked.
• Jan. 22 — Michael Thomas, 30, reported a shot cracked his windshield on I-71; he said he saw a person standing in shadows on an overpass.
• Feb. 3 — A bullet pierced the windshield of a van on I-71; a bullet fragment from the dashboard matched.
• Feb. 8 — A van and a Mercedes were shot within minutes about a mile apart near overpasses on Interstate 71 in Jeffersonville.
• Aug. 8, 2005 — Charles McCoy Jr. was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
• Aug. 10, 2005 — McCoy admitted highway shooter Charles A. McCoy Jr. dropped an insanity defense and pleaded guilty to manslaughter and 10 other charges; the plea was entered during court proceedings.