Demand Rape Charges Be Brought Against the Men Who Raped and Murdered 16-Year-Old African American

Yesterday we reported on the virtual sweeping-under-the-rug of the death of Dione Payne, 16, of Dayton, Ohio. The Dayton Daily News, one of the only local sources to report on the rape, and beating death of the youth seemed more interested in focusing on the “troubled past” of the victim, instead of the past of the murderers.

Michael A. Geldrich, 36, and Michael J. Watson, 39, are both being held in the Warren County Jail for the December 1 beating death of the young Payne. Miami Valley Hospital workers discovered that Payne had been sexually assaulted during the attack. Hospital personnel contacted Middletown police and stated the teen had been sexually assaulted, according to the police report. But thus far, no rape charges have been brought, and hate crime charges have been dismissed point blank by Franklin Police Chief Russ Whitman, who said there is “no evidence” that there was a racial motive to the rape and murder of this 16-year-old African American.

To add insult to injury, some local media reports have fixated on a checkered history of the juvenile: possessing narcotics, and even allegations that he had fired gun shots in the past. They talked about morbid comments made on his Facebook account before the day he was raped and beaten to death. They even called the 16-year-old out for getting arrested for littering. What they did not do was explain why the police have ruled out a racial motive to the attack, and why the Franklin City Prosecutor has neither pursued hate crime charges, nor even charged the attackers with rape.

These questions still remain unanswered. But there is more that we can do besides reading about this frustrating account and getting on with our day in silence. What can you do? Well for starters, contact the Franklin City Prosecutor:

Steven M. Runge
Franklin Municipal Court
1 Benjamin Franklin Way
Franklin Ohio, 45005
(937) 746-2858
srunge@franklinohio.org

Ask him why these criminals have not been charged for raping the 16-year-old boy who they murdered. Also ask why hate crime charges are being excluded, when this does not seem to have been a common practice for these drug buyers to rape and beat-to-death previous people who they have tried to procure narcotics from.

Are these charges being brushed off because there were drugs potentially involved, or for some other reason that neither the police, the City of Franklin nor the local media are reporting.

SPREAD THE WORD and get people involved. Tell everyone you know who thinks this 16-year-old rape and murder victim deserves justice, in spite of his “troubled past”.