By Sharon Turco
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A Walnut Hills man is facing life in prison after his impromptu confession during a parole violation.

Gregory Curtis, 21, was indicted Thursday by a Hamilton County grand jury on charges of rape and murder, accused of killing Cynthia Clendenin, 35, whom he met at City Gospel Mission on Oct. 6.

"I was surprised that somebody could be stupid enough to confess to something like this," Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen said. "

Ms. Clendenin's unclothed body was found Oct.6 in front of Union Baptist Church on Seventh Street.. Hamilton County Coroner Carl Parrott determined she had been raped and strangled.

In the meantime, Mr. Curtis was arrested for violating his probation on another charge. He had been sentenced in September 2001 to spend four years in prison on a charge of felonious assault, but was released on five years of community control in September, according to court records.

He immediately violated community control, failing to meet with a probation officer or give the court his address. He was rearrested and brought into Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge Norbert Nadel's courtroom Dec. 11.

When Judge Nadel allowed Mr. Curtis to speak, he said, "While I was on the streets I killed somebody and I also raped her," according to a transcript of the hearing.

Mr. Curtis' attorney, Melissa Powers, said her client had been diagnosed as bipolar, manic depressive and paranoid schizophrenic. "No," Mr. Curtis responded. "You all are trying to stop me from doing something. I'm trying to explain this the best way as possible."

Judge Nadel remanded Mr. Curtis to prison to finish his original sentence, and then passed his statements on to the police and the prosecutor's office.

"It was almost like Perry Mason," the judge said.

E-mail sturco@enquirer.com