Tuesday, March 07, 2000
Former officer indicted in killing
Motive remains unclear in Silverton case
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Rashawn Berry was killed moments after the door buzzer rang in his Silverton apartment, Hamilton County prosecutors said Monday.
He still had a TV remote control in his hand when he was shot.
Former Hamilton County sheriff's deputy Owen Hobbs, 52, of Sycamore Township, has been charged in the killing. He remains in the justice center on $250,000 bond.
Why Mr. Berry was shot Feb. 19 remains a mystery.
Mr. Hobbs, who was indicted Monday by a Hamilton County grand jury, faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted, plus three additional years because a gun was used.
Mr. Berry, 25 was shot four times at the door of his apartment building in the 6900 block of Silverton Avenue.
County Prosecutor Mike Allen said authorities have traced the alleged murder weapon — a .357-caliber revolver — to Mr. Hobbs in the early-1980s. He worked for the sheriff's department during that time and sheriff's department spokesman Steve Barnett said the department is looking into whether the weapon was work-related. At that time, officers bought their own weapons and many deputies used the .357-caliber. They now use department-issued .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatics.
Mr. Hobbs became a corrections officer for the sheriff's department in December 1978 and was promoted to patrol officer in March 1980. In April 1981, Mr. Hobbs moved to California but was rehired as corrections officer by the sheriff's department in August 1981. Two years later, he was again promoted to patrol officer.
In 1986, Mr. Hobbs was fired after he was accused of stealing “bait money” used in an internal investigation. He pleaded guilty to one count of theft in office and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Following Monday's indictment, prosecutors released additional details of the case.
Mr. Berry lived with his sister in an apartment on the same floor as the apartment belonging to Mr. Hobbs' ex-wife.
But prosecutors said Monday that after interviews with both women, they do not know if the two men knew each other.
“It's always easier to prove a case when you have a clear-cut motive,” Mr. Allen said. “But I suspect when the case progresses, the motive will come out.”
Prosecutors say they don't yet know whether Mr. Hobbs rang every buzzer in an attempt to get in the building to see his ex-wife, or if he inadvertently buzzed the wrong apartment.
When Mr. Berry came to the door, a brief argument ensued, followed by four gunshots.
The slaying was Silverton's first since March 1990, when a woman killed her six-year-old daughter.
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