NOTORIOUS serial killer Richard Beasley was known as the Craigslist Killer in 2011 when he lured his victims through phony job listings. The murders took place in Akron, Ohio where Beasley resided. Who is Richard Beasley? Beasley would prey on middle-aged men who were in need of work through a Craiglist job advertisement offering them […]
NOTORIOUS serial killer Richard Beasley was known as the Craigslist Killer in 2011 when he lured his victims through phony job listings.
The murders took place in Akron, Ohio where Beasley resided.
Beasley would prey on middle-aged men who were in need of work through a Craiglist job advertisement offering them $300 a week in pay and housing in a two-bedroom trailer.
When the man arrived to meet Beasley, the two rode together to survey the area where the man was intended to be working.
However, he would never make it home.
Upon arriving in the wooded area, Beasley would walk behind his victim and shoot him in the head.
More than 100 men responded to the advertisement that read:
In full, it read: “Wanted: Caretaker for farm. Simply watch over a 688-acre patch of hilly farmland and feed a few cows.
“You get $300 a week and a nice 2 bedroom trailer. Someone older and single preferred.”
It was November 6, 2011, when Scott Davis, 48, responded to the job listing and met with Beasley and his young 16-year-old accomplice, Brogan Rafferty.
They met at a restaurant and Beasley introduced himself as Jack and Rafferty, who he referred to as his nephew.
The three set off for the secluded wooded area and when Davis stepped in front of Beasley, he heard what sounded like a gun misfiring and was shot in the elbow.
He took off running as his baseball cap flew off his head.
Davis made it to a home where he called 911 and directed them to find his hat which might lead them to more clues.
When investigators arrived, they realized something very sinister was at work when they found a pre-dug shallow grave that they believed was intended for Davis.
Nearby, investigators found two other bodies, one of whom was Ralph Geiger, a man who Beasley had not only killed but had assumed his identity.
Five days after the investigation began, police received a call from Debra Bruce who said her brother, David Pauley, had responded to a similar advertisement on Craigslist.
She was later able to identify the second man as her brother because of an ID bracelet he was still wearing when he was killed.
Police were able to trace the Craigslist advertisements to a home in Akron, Ohio where Joe Bais rented a floor out to Beasley under Geiger’s name.
Bais told authorities he had not listed the ad but his tenant had access to his WiFi.
Beasley ultimately reached out to Bais, not knowing authorities had been in touch, which allowed them to trace his location based on cell towers.
He and his young accomplice were apprehended on November 16, 2011.
Richard Beasley and Brogan Rafferty stood trial in 2013 for the murders of Ralph Geiger, David Pauley, and Timothy Kern.
Rafferty was offered a deal to get parole when he was middle-aged if he provided information on Beasley, but he refused.
He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison on three counts of aggravated murder.
Beasley’s trial followed and that same year he received the death sentence.
He was convicted of aggravated murder, attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and kidnapping.
However, in 2020 Beasley went back to trial and was resentenced after a procedural error occurred when he was sentenced in 2013.
The resentencing had the same results with Beasley still receiving a death sentence.
Beasley has continuously maintained his innocence and remains at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution in Ohio.
The A&E show, I Survived a Serial Killer, premieres its new episode featuring the Craigslist Killer, Richard Beasley, on February 18, 2022.
This episode will shed light on how Beasley committed the murders and will home in on near-victim Scott Davis’ harrowing escape.
The Craigslist Killer episode will air at 10pm EST only on A&E.
New episodes air every Friday at 10pm EST.
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