Larry Ralston

Case overview

Larry Ralston was convicted of the murders of four young women in the 1970s and was also convicted of rape offenses. He received four life sentences in 1978. A conviction in the murder of Nancy Grigsby was overturned, and an aggravated murder charge in the Grigsby case was dismissed by the Ohio Supreme Court. After that, Ralston pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in the death of Mary Ruth Hopkins and received a life sentence.

Timeline

• 3 September 1975 — Larry Ralston’s killing spree began with the disappearance of Linda Kay Harmon while waiting for a bus at Wolfangle Road and Beechmont Avenue, about three blocks from home.
• 34 days later — The scattered body parts of Linda Kay Harmon were found in a wooded area in Felicity.
• 4 May 1976 — Nancy Grigsby disappeared on the way to meet her boyfriend in Fairfax.
• 15 November 1976 — Nancy Grigsby’s body was found on Moore-Marathon Road in Clermont County’s Jackson Township.
• 30 June 1976 — Mary Ruth Hopkins’ naked body with a T-shirt wrapped around the neck was discovered off Five Mile Road in Anderson Township.
• 28 February 1977 — Elaina Marie Bear was found in a creekbed off Katy’s Lane near Wilmington in Clinton County.
• January 1977 — Ralston raped and strangled Elaina Bear.
• 24 September 1977 — Ralston offered a ride to three 15-year-old girls from Price Hill, drove to Round Bottom Road in Clermont County’s Union Township, blocked the passenger side of the car against an embankment, and raped the girls; they escaped when a car approached two hours later.
• 19 October 1977 — A Clermont County grand jury indicted Ralston on three counts of rape and three counts of kidnapping involving the girls.
• 22 October 1977 — The skeletal remains of Diana Sue McCrobie were found at East Fork State Park in Clermont County.
• 22 February 1977 — Elaina Marie Bear was found in a creekbed off Katy’s Lane near Wilmington in Clinton County.
• 10 November 1977 — Ralston was arrested at his sister’s house in Mount Prospect, Illinois.
• 15 November 1977 — Investigator Bob Stout picked up Ralston in Illinois and transported him to the Clermont County Jail in Batavia.
• 22 February 1978 — A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Ralston for the aggravated murder and attempted rape of Mary Ruth Hopkins.
• 4 May 1978 — After more than seven hours of deliberation, a Clermont County jury convicted Ralston of aggravated murder and rape in the death of Elaina Marie Bear.
• 28 June 1978 — Ralston was sentenced to death in Elaina Bear’s slaying and scheduled to die in the electric chair on 31 October 1978.
• 6 July 1978 — Ralston was convicted in the slaying of Diana Sue McCrobie and sentenced to life in prison.
• 26 July 1978 — Ralston’s death sentence was commuted to life after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Ohio’s capital punishment law was unconstitutional.
• 2 August 1978 — Ralston was convicted of aggravated murder in the slaying of Linda Kay Harmon and was sentenced immediately to life in prison.
• 7 June 1978 — Ralston was convicted in the slaying of Miss McCrobie and sentenced to life in prison.
• 24 August 1978 — Judge William Young, a visiting judge from Warren County, convicted Ralston in the death of Nancy Grigsby and sentenced him to another life term.
• 25 September 1978 — Ralston pled guilty to two counts of rape involving the three Price Hill teen-agers; one count of rape and kidnapping charges were dropped in the plea bargain.
• 18 October 1978 — Ralston received two concurrent seven- to 25-year terms for the rapes to run consecutively with four life sentences.
• 7 November 1979 — The state appeals court overturned the Grigsby conviction, saying the prosecutor did not establish a cause of death during trial.
• 22 February 1980 — The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the aggravated murder charge in the Grigsby case after Clermont County prosecutors were late in filing an appeal to the 7 November 1979 decision.
• 11 May 1983 — The Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals upheld convictions in the Bear, McCrobie and Harmon cases.
• 15 May 1984 — Ralston pled guilty to aggravated murder in the death of Mary Ruth Hopkins and was sentenced to life in prison.
• Tuesday, January 27, 1999 — The Ohio Parole Board denied Ralston’s release.

People involved

• Larry Ralston — defendant; convicted serial killer and rapist; unemployed dropout of Norwood High School; held jobs before at the Hamilton County morgue and a state mental hospital.
• Robert Stout — sheriff’s investigator assigned in November 1977 to transport Ralston to Clermont County.
• Andrea Dean — spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
• Larry Ralston’s father — told reporters he warned his son that his irresponsible lifestyle would bring only trouble.
• Larry Ralston’s mother — called him a “likable boy” who had a knack for talking to anybody.
• Linda Kay Harmon — victim; 17-year-old daughter of Mrs. Porter; body parts found scattered in a wooded area in Felicity 34 days later.
• Nancy Grigsby — victim; 23-year-old disabled woman of Withamsville; body found on Moore-Marathon Road in Clermont County’s Jackson Township.
• Elaina Marie Bear — victim; 15-year-old; found in a creekbed off Katy’s Lane near Wilmington in Clinton County.
• Diana Sue McCrobie — victim; 16-year-old.
• Mary Ruth Hopkins — victim; 21-year-old of Cincinnati’s East End; body discovered off Five Mile Road in Anderson Township; naked body with a T-shirt wrapped around the neck.
• Dori Porter — mother of Ralston’s first victim, Linda Kay Harmon; gave a reaction to the parole board decision.
• Darrell Bear — brother of Elaina Bear; identified his sister’s body by a small tattoo on her wrist.
• Gene Sanders — one of Mary Ruth Hopkins’ 10 siblings; spoke about not imagining Ralston released from jail.
• Sam Hopkins — 3 years old when their mother was killed; referenced in reaction to parole denial.
• Heather Hopkins — 1 year old when their mother was killed; referenced in reaction to parole denial.
• Mr. Hopkins — identified as 25, of Felicity, who spoke about the lasting impact.
• Judge William Young — visiting judge from Warren County who convicted Ralston in the death of Nancy Grigsby.
• U.S. Supreme Court — ruled Ohio’s capital punishment law unconstitutional, leading to commutation of Ralston’s death sentence.
• Ohio Parole Board — denied Ralston’s release on Tuesday January 27, 1999.

Background

In 1978, Larry Ralston received four life sentences for killing four young Tristate women. One conviction was overturned, but in 1984 he received another life sentence for murder.

At the time police caught up with him, Ralston was a 28-year-old unemployed dropout of Norwood High School. He had held jobs before at the Hamilton County morgue and a state mental hospital, but at that time he was living at home or with a short list of friends. His father told reporters he had warned his son that his irresponsible lifestyle—sleeping all day, staying out all night, and running around with young girls—would bring only trouble. His mother called him a “likable boy” who had a knack for talking to anybody, even if he didn’t know them.

The murders and related allegations

The killings began 3 September 1975 with Linda Kay Harmon, the 17-year-old daughter of Mrs. Porter. She disappeared while waiting for a bus at Wolfangle Road and Beechmont Avenue, about three blocks from home. It was to be her first day at Withrow High School after moving from Finneytown. She never made it. Her body parts were found scattered in a wooded area in Felicity 34 days later, after two dogs dragged pieces of her arms to their owner’s porch.

A year later, Nancy Grigsby, 23, of Withamsville, disappeared 4 May 1976 on the way to meet her boyfriend in Fairfax. Hunters discovered her body 15 November 1976 on Moore-Marathon Road in Clermont County’s Jackson Township.

Elaina Marie Bear, 15, of Northside was found 28 February 1977 in a creekbed off Katy’s Lane near Wilmington in Clinton County. Diana Sue McCrobie, 16, of Springfield Township was found 22 October 1977 covered with brush at East Fork Lake State Park in Clermont County. Police said she dated Ralston.

Hamilton County authorities later convicted Ralston in the death of Mary Ruth Hopkins, 21, of Cincinnati’s East End. Her naked body with a T-shirt wrapped around the neck was discovered 30 June 1976 off Five Mile Road in Anderson Township.

Investigation and confessions

The words Ralston said during interrogation led investigators to believe that he was responsible for serial killings. Grueling interrogations over two weeks yielded confessions to five slayings that had stymied police for more than two years. These admissions landed Ralston in prison with four life sentences.

When police caught up with him, investigator Robert Stout was assigned in November 1977 to transport Ralston to Clermont County, where he faced charges of raping three 15-year-old girls. During transport between Chicago and Batavia, in the back seat of a police car, Ralston freed his conscience and started crying. Robert Stout recalled:

“He just started crying, and he said, "I didn't mean to kill any of them,' " recalled Robert Stout, a sheriff's investigator assigned in November 1977 to transport Mr. Ralston to Clermont County, where he faced charges of raping three 15-year-old girls.”

In taped confessions played in court, Ralston told Robert Stout how he picked up hitchhiking victims, drove them around drinking wine and smoking marijuana, and that he strangled them when they rejected him sexually.

Robert Stout also said:

“After every murder he did, he would go to (a friend's) house and he said he would turn on the song, "Fly Like An Eagle.' It just put him in a trance, made him feel better about what he did,” Mr. Stout said.

Robert Stout said watching people die was a subject Ralston enjoyed talking about, recalling:

“When he worked at Longview Hospital, one of the things he really got off on was the fact that he had missed his lunch hour, for maybe three or four days, for a week, in order to watch a person die,” he recalled from the interviews with Mr. Ralston in November 1977. “He would be taking care of these people, just people in his area. He would know they were dying. He would go watch.”

Arrest and charges

On 10 November 1977, Ralston was arrested at his sister’s house in Mount Prospect, Illinois. On 15 November 1977, Investigator Bob Stout picked up Ralston in Illinois and transported him to the Clermont County Jail in Batavia.

On 19 October 1977, a Clermont County grand jury indicted Ralston on three counts of rape and three counts of kidnapping involving the three Price Hill teen-agers.

On 22 February 1978, a Hamilton County grand jury indicted Ralston for the aggravated murder and attempted rape of Mary Ruth Hopkins.

Trial

On 4 May 1978, after more than seven hours of deliberation, a Clermont County jury convicted Ralston of aggravated murder and rape in the death of Elaina Marie Bear.

On 6 July 1978, Ralston was convicted in the slaying of Miss McCrobie and sentenced to life in prison.

On 2 August 1978, Ralston was convicted of aggravated murder in the slaying of Linda Kay Harmon and was sentenced immediately to life in prison.

On 24 August 1978, Judge William Young, a visiting judge from Warren County, convicted Ralston in the death of Nancy Grigsby and sentenced him to another life term.

Ralston later pleaded guilty to rapes involving the three Price Hill teen-agers. On 25 September 1978, he pled guilty to two counts of rape involving the three Price Hill teen-agers, and one count of rape and kidnapping charges were dropped in the plea bargain.

Sentencing

On 28 June 1978, Ralston was sentenced to death in Miss Bear’s slaying and scheduled to die in the electric chair on 31 October 1978.

On 26 July 1978, his death sentence was commuted to life after the U.S.

On 2 August 1978, he was sentenced immediately to life in prison for the slaying of Linda Kay Harmon.

On 24 August 1978, he was sentenced to another life term for the death of Nancy Grigsby.

On 18 October 1978, Ralston received two concurrent seven- to 25-year terms for the rapes to run consecutively with four life sentences.

On 15 May 1984, Ralston pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in the death of Ms. Hopkins and was sentenced to life in prison.

Appeals

On 7 November 1979, the state appeals court overturned the Grigsby conviction, saying the prosecutor did not establish a cause of death during trial.

On 22 February 1980, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the aggravated murder charge in the Grigsby case after Clermont County prosecutors were late in filing an appeal to the 7 November 1979 decision.

On 11 May 1983, the Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals upheld convictions in the Bear, McCrobie and Harmon cases.

Outcome

By the end of the litigation described, Ralston had been sentenced to multiple life terms connected to the deaths of Linda Kay Harmon, Elaina Marie Bear, Diana Sue McCrobie, and Mary Ruth Hopkins, with a Grigsby conviction overturned and an aggravated murder charge dismissed.

Aftermath

On Tuesday, January 27, 1999, the Ohio Parole Board denied Ralston’s release. The parole board denied the former Norwood resident’s release even though his good behavior had earned him a bed in a dormitory for “privileged” inmates and a job working on Ohio Department of Transportation trucks. Andrea Dean, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, said the denial “was due to the nature of the crime, and they didn't feel he had served enough time.” Dean said the board met with Ralston at Chillicothe Correctional Institution mid-morning Tuesday and also considered the outcry from the public and the victims’ families. More than 400 people signed petitions and wrote letters protesting his release. Dean said Ralston, 49, would be eligible for a parole hearing again in January 2009.

Relatives of the victims said they were elated by the decision. Dori Porter said:

“It's one step closer to justice for Linda. I can breathe for a little while,” Mrs. Porter said from her home near Ocala, Fla. “The bad news is we have to do this again in 10 years.”

Mrs. Porter met with a member of the parole board last fall, pleading to keep Ralston in prison.

Darrell Bear, whose sister Elaina was 15 when Ralston raped and strangled her in January 1977, sent a letter to the board last September. Bear said:

“I don't believe in the death penalty, but I don't think the man should ever be released from jail,” said Mr. Bear, of Colerain Township.

Bear had the task of identifying his sister’s body by a small tattoo on her wrist at age 21.

Gene Sanders, one of Mary Ruth Hopkins’ 10 siblings, said:

“I couldn't imagine them putting him out on the street. I want him to wake up every day looking through them bars. He's destroyed a lot of families,” said Gene Sanders of Felicity, one of Miss Hopkins' 10 siblings.

Sam Hopkins was 3 years old, and his sister Heather Hopkins was 1 when their mother was killed. Mr. Hopkins, 25, said:

“It affected my life traumatically,” said Mr. Hopkins, 25, of Felicity. “It's been real hard. It has haunted me forever. I'm always thinking what went though her mind at that last minute.”

Other details

Ralston timeline information included that Sept. 24, 1977 Ralston offered a ride to three 15-year-old girls from Price Hill, then drove to Round Bottom Road in Clermont County’s Union Township, blocked the passenger side of the car against an embankment, and raped the girls; they escaped when a car approached two hours later.

The timeline information also stated that on Oct. 22, 1977 the skeletal remains of Diana Sue McCrobie were found at East Fork State Park in Clermont County.

It further stated that:

• Nov. 15, 1977 — Investigator Bob Stout picked up Ralston in Illinois and transported him to the Clermont County Jail in Batavia.
• May 4, 1978 — a Clermont County jury convicted him of aggravated murder and rape in the death of Elaina Marie Bear after more than seven hours of deliberation.
• July 26, 1978 — his death sentence was commuted to life after the U.S.
• Aug. 24, 1978 — Judge William Young convicted Ralston in the death of Nancy Grigsby and sentenced him to another life term.
• Nov. 7, 1979 — the state appeals