Craigslist Murders: Ohio teen Brogan Rafferty's sentencing delayed
(CBS/AP) AKRON, Ohio - With a possible deal for leniency in the works, sentencing was delayed Monday for Ohio teenager Brogan Rafferty, who was convicted in a deadly plot to lure men desperate for work with phony Craigslist job offers.
Judge Lynne Callahan said sentencing for 17-year-old Rafferty would be held Friday but she did not explain the reason for the change. The announcement during a brief court session came after a 90-minute delay as prosecutors and defense attorneys met privately in the judge's chambers.
All parties in the case are under a gag order.
Rafferty's mother, Yvette Rafferty, said the delay was "probably" related to a possible deal for leniency in return for her son's testimony against the alleged triggerman, Richard Beasley, 53. She declined to comment further, citing the gag order.
The teenager was convicted last week of killing three men and attempting to kill a fourth, who was shot but survived.
He could face up to life in prison without change of parole but his cooperation against Beasley could give him a chance for freedom at some point - a sentence of perhaps 20 or 30 years.
The jury rejected the defense claim that Rafferty feared for his life if he didn't cooperate with Beasley, who has pleaded not guilty and faces a Jan. 7 trial.
Prosecutors say the victims were lured with phony offers of farmhand jobs on Craigslist last year. They say robbery was the motive.
Rafferty, a high school student from Stow near Akron, was tried as an adult but didn't face a possible death penalty because he is a juvenile.
Beasley, an ex-convict and self-styled street minister from Akron, could face the death penalty if convicted.