Thursday, July 01, 1999
Murder defendant deemed fit for trial
Defense will keep Bainum's insanity plea
BY STEVE KEMME
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HAMILTON — A Butler County judge ruled Wednesday that Richard Bainum, who is accused of killing a Middletown woman after a sexual encounter, is compe tent to stand trial.
Common Pleas Judge Keith Spaeth made his decision after reviewing a report by Dr. Bobbi Hopes, a forensic psychologist for the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Hamilton who examined Mr. Bainum.
The ruling will not affect Mr. Bainum's plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. His trial is scheduled to begin Nov. 8.
Mr. Bainum, 25, of Middletown, is charged with murder. He is accused of strangling Sandra Ronto with her purse straps on Nov. 6 after they had sex in his apartment.
Police said Mr. Bainum told them he killed Ms. Ronto because he believed her to be married and he thought he was justified in killing a married woman who had sex outside her marriage.
Ms. Ronto, 51, of Middletown, actually was not married, but had lived with a man for nine years, police said.
Her boyfriend reported her missing Nov. 7.
Police discovered her body Nov. 8 at the bottom of a stairway in Mr. Bainum's apartment building.
Mr. Bainum has a long history of emotional and mental health problems, his attorneys have said.
At the request of Mr. Bainum's attorneys, Judge Spaeth sealed all psychologi cal reports in the case and issued a gag order prohibiting all parties from discussing them with the media.
Thad Willard, one of Mr. Bainum's attorneys, said publicizing the contents of Dr. Hopes' competency report could make it difficult to seat an unbiased jury for the trial.
“If it becomes public, it could pollute the jury pool,” he said.
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