Monday, February 08, 1999
Victim's family watches trial
Mother of 2 abducted, fatally shot
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — Since Lisa Weber was shot to death June 9, her family has lived in agony.
Her 19-year-old son, Justin, has trouble sleeping. Her 18-year-old daughter, Shannon, cries when the sense of loss overwhelms her. Ms. Weber's mother, Fay Minges, rarely leaves her house.
“Our hearts and souls have been torn out,” said Mark Weber, her ex-husband and the father of Justin and Shannon.
“All I want is some kind of justice for Lisa,” the Hamilton resident said. “Give her her day in court, even though she's not here.”
That day has arrived. The trial of Franklin Saunders, the man accused of killing Ms. Weber, his ex-girlfriend, begins today before Judge H.J. Bressler in Butler County Common Pleas Court.
Mr. Saunders, 40, of Blue Ash, is accused of dragging Ms. Weber, 39, of Fairfield, into his car June 9 in Butler County's Union Township and shooting her in nearby woods.
Authorities conducted a massive search for him until he surrendered at the Union Township Police Department the next morning.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, kidnapping and violating a court order not to have weapons. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death.
The jury trial is expected to take up to two weeks, with 53 potential prosecution witnesses and 10 potential defense witnesses.
The part of the trial to determine guilt will take a week. If Mr. Saunders is convicted, the portion of the trial to decide the penalty will consume part or all of the second week.
Eleven of the prosecution witnesses are members of the Union Township Police Department. The witness list also includes Justin and Shannon Weber.
Police and family members say Justin watched in horror as Mr. Saunders, holding a shotgun, dragged his mother into his car. After the car sped away, Justin ran and called police.
Police discovered Ms. Weber's body in a wooded area behind a Muhlhauser Road subdivision. She had been shot in the neck. Police said Mr. Saunders had stalked her since she moved out of their apartment in May.
Prosecuting and defense attorneys can't publicly discuss the case because of a gag order issued by Judge Bressler.
Ms. Weber's relatives are eager for the trial to begin and to conclude.
“Lisa was such a sweet, loving, caring person, and we all miss her,” said her aunt, Doris Ash of Fairfield. “It has been horrible. We can't get any rest until this trial is over.”
Mr. Weber, who remained close friends with Ms. Weber since their divorce 15 years ago, views the judicial system with bitterness. He says it shows more concern for criminal suspects than for victims.
“This guy gets the opportunity of pleading his case in front of a judge and a jury,” he said. “Lisa didn't get that.”
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