BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Hamilton County Prosecutor Joseph Deters says he will put his campaign for Ohio treasurer on hold so he can personally lead the prosecution of serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin.
The trial is scheduled to begin Monday, just two weeks before the final day of the campaign.
Mr. Franklin is accused of shooting to death two Bond Hill teen-agers in 1980 during a nationwide crime spree that included as many as 18 racially motivated killings.
Mr. Deters said Monday he has decided to prosecute the case himself because his office has pursued Mr. Franklin for more than a year and he wants to see it through.
He said he did not want his campaign schedule to interfere with his involvement with the case.
"It's going to be done," Mr. Deters said. "I'll just have to cancel some stuff."
Mr. Deters, a Republican, is running against Democrat John Donofrio. Polls taken in September showed Mr. Deters leading Mr. Donofrio by a margin of 7 to 9 percentage points, making the race one of the closest statewide contests.
Although the case is expected to generate significant media coverage, Mr. Deters said the publicity would not help his campaign. It's more likely that it would hurt, he said, because time off for the trial would prevent him from traveling to other counties.
Since taking office, Mr. Deters has personally prosecuted many high-profile murder cases, including several with victims who were children.
"It's not out of the ordinary," he said. "It's not like I haven't tried a murder case involving children before."
The charges against Mr. Franklin were filed last year after he gave prosecutors a statement in which he admitted the crime. He said he used a high-powered rifle to kill Dante Evans Brown and Darrell Lane as they walked to a grocery store.
Mr. Franklin, who already has been sentenced to death in other states, could not face that sentence here because Ohio did not have the death penalty in 1980.
Mr. Deters has said it is important to try him in Cincinnati because the victims' families want justice.
