OH - Larry Mugrage, 15, fatally shot, Batavia, 19 March 2006

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BATAVIA, Ohio -- Irritated but calm, Charles Martin called 911 and told the dispatcher that he had finally done something about the neighbor boy -- the one, Martin said into the phone, who had been harassing him for years.

"I just killed a kid," Martin said, according to a recording of the Sunday afternoon call released by police in Union Township, near this city about 20 miles east of Cincinnati.

Martin, 66, is charged with murdering 15-year-old Larry Mugrage, who lived next door to the house where Martin kept a meticulous front lawn with grass that he could sometimes be seen measuring to the inch.

Police said crossing that lawn is what got Mugrage killed. Martin, who lived alone, told officers he'd had several disputes with neighbors about walking on his grass, but hadn't called police since 2003, Union Township police Lt. Scott Gaviglia said.

In the 911 call, Martin, a retired Ford Motor Co. worker with no criminal record, told the dispatcher that Mugrage had been "making the other kids harass me and my place, tearing things up."

"I shot him with a (word deleted) .410 shotgun twice," Martin told the dispatcher.

"You shot him with a shotgun? Where is he?" the dispatcher asked.

"He's laying in the yard," Martin said.

Mugrage, who police said was hit in the chest, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
 
This is so sad. How can he kill a child for just walking on grass. Grass is not that important when compared to a human life. How much grass will he see in prison? That boy reminds me a lot of one of my grandsons. I hope that monster never sets foot on grass again.
 
Unbelievable! Yeah, he won't be seeing any well-manicured lawns in prison, now will he?! :behindbar
 
This reminds me of an incident that happened in my own neighborhood growing up. I lived on a dead end street that backed a golf course. Every spring a bunch of us kids and parents and other neighbors would play whiffle ball in the street. It was a great time for everyone. There was one man that became infuriated when the ball went into his yard. He came out screaming. One of the adults apologized and we moved the game further up the street. The ball went into his yard again. My friend was about to retrieve the ball when another kid's dad stopped him and went himself. The homeowner came out with a shotgun and was screaming like a nut. He fired twice, and his victim stumbled back across the street and tried to make it up the steps of his own house. He never made it and died in his wife's arms.


We never played ball again.
 
Linda, how sad, what a horrible thing to witness and go through as a child. Childhood should be about being carefree and having fun. Goodness knows kids have to grow up far too fast nowadays as it is. Again, so sorry for what you had to witness.

Lucky aka Connie
 
I just don't even know what to say......this man has some kind of mental problem, obviously. I 'd like to know what happens to him...any locals to this story here? I'd love to know what happens with this case. I bet they go for insanity...the article said he would measure the blades of grass...disturbing.
 
This part of the article is interesting...seems the guy was friendly to others in the neighborhood...it wasn't like he was fighting with everyone all the time, I wonder what made him snap? NO EXCUSE here, but, I wonder if this kid HAD been harrassing him purposefully, again, no excuse to kill him, this just seems so strange after reading this part of the article


Neighbors said Martin was quiet, often sitting out in front of his one-story home with its neat lawn, well-trimmed shrubbery and flag pole with U.S. and Navy flags flying. In his fenced backyard, he had several birdhouses and a shed painted like a small red barn with white trim.


Neighbor Joanne Ritchie, 46, said Mugrage was known as "a good kid," and that she always considered Martin to be friendly.


"The older gentleman was always riding his bike and tending to his yard," she said. "He would wave at kids and adults. He always had the perfect yard and he worked in it a lot."


Still, Fritts said he wasn't aware of any disputes involving Martin.


"I never had any problems with him, and I don't know that anyone else did," he said.
 
Wow, this guy obviously has some mental issues... I don't care how badly he was harrassed or annoyed by this boy.... He deserves to be locked up for good!
 
Somewhat a local here. I am in the "area". I have been hearing that this had been going on for quite some time. The harrasment was from the boy who also encouraged his buddies. Also heard reports that the parents were involved also. I will try to find some links... Could be just "rumored" talk from the local talk radio station...700 wlw. I will see what I can find..It is notable that they are saying he had not called the police since 2003 about the problems with this boy tearing up his property. Did he give up trying to resolve and let it build up in his mind? Or had it stopped?? I will see what I can find!
 
The child was shot in the street, here is a pic of the murders house-left, childs house-on the right


house.jpg



Here is a picture of the child who was killed, his name was Larry :(

larry.jpg


Here is a picture of Martin, the man who murdered this precious child

martin.jpg
 
http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=4660806&nav=0zHF

Union Township Man Admits Killing Boy In 911 Call
March 21, 2006, 09:35 AM

On Sunday afternoon 66 year old Charles Martin snapped and he admits it in a dramatic 911 call to police.

In the call Martin tells the operator that he "just killed a kid" and the operator asks Martin what happened and he talks about his feud with his 15 year old neighbor. "It's just...I've been being harassed by him and his parents for five years, and I just today, just blew up," Martin tells the operator.

EDITED DUE TO COPYRIGHT VIOLATION
 
There's no excuse for murder, but it sounds like this "precious child" had been antagonizing the old man for years. Too bad the boy didn't realize the old man was unbalanced enough to exact his own revenge.
 
If the boy was just walking across the yard as was stated, the man had to be waiting with a loaded gun. By the time he got a gun and loaded it, the child would have been gone. There is no excuse for behavior like this.
 
My next door neighbor is just like this guy. She has threatened me and my children over nothing. She came out ranting and raving at my oldest a few years ago. My daughter was learning to ride her bike and was riding on the sidewalk in front of the neighbor's house. Said neighbor came out and started swearing, telling my daughter that if she hit the lawn or the car, she would be be "sorry." We called the police over that one, and a few others. Her nickname in the neighborhood is Psycho.
 
Ntegrity this must be a rare occasion LOL but I agree with you.

I am not defending this man's actions in any way, but I feel that the parent and the victim himself attributed to this.
Why not teach this kid to respect someone elses property? Its absolutely awful that the result as this.
If the neighbor made it clear that he did not want people on his grass then why was this kid still walking on it?
 
I agree Ntegrity. I am sure there is much more to this story. Not justifying the mans actions in killing the boy but it sounds to me like he was provoked. People hve got to realize that not everyone one in this world is stable. I have personally delt with people who have been harrased to the breaking point and am not shocked by the outcome of this. While it is tragic that a young life is lost I am not shocked.



Ntegrity said:
There's no excuse for murder, but it sounds like this "precious child" had been antagonizing the old man for years. Too bad the boy didn't realize the old man was unbalanced enough to exact his own revenge.
 
I agree the boy should not have been on his property if he knew the man didn't want him there, but this is nowhere near being worthy of death. If there had been problems before, the parents should have talked with the children that Mr. Martin has a problem with people being in his yard, so make sure you don't go there. Apparently he had an angry outburst when some neighbors cut their lawn and went about a foot into his yard. There is just no excuse for what he did.
 
This reminds me of the guy that shot the kid who took a plastic pumpkin off his porch. This guy had problems with kids stealing things from his yard, decorations I guess, and he just snapped and shot the kid. I can't remember the outcome of that case, I know he was in jail though, it happened here in CA.
 
This is a sad story.My friend has been going through hell,her son was killed by a landowner stringing a cable traverse on a path that was used daily by locals.Read about the height placement of this cable and where the cable caught him.It would not have been seen until it was too late,add to that the glaring sun.Matt was wearing a helmet with a visor.
My heart hurts.
It was a well traveled path and not in someones yard.
The Matthew Ives Foundation was formed at Matt's school.I donated to the Foundation,a check from the inmate recreation fund from where I work was presented in 2005 to students who graduated in Matt's class.
Matt's parents attempted to pass Matthew's Law please read this link ,it gives a summary of what happened.
It was not passed.

I posted this on Webslueths.The person was not charged.
 
Amraann said:
Ntegrity this must be a rare occasion LOL but I agree with you.

I am not defending this man's actions in any way, but I feel that the parent and the victim himself attributed to this.
Why not teach this kid to respect someone elses property? Its absolutely awful that the result as this.
If the neighbor made it clear that he did not want people on his grass then why was this kid still walking on it?


Because that's what kids do! Which doesn't make it right, but when I was young, if someone was crabby about his/her lawn you could bet that it was the lawn we'd sneak onto or run through, giggling all the while!

I agree with you, kids do need to be taught to respect property and maybe more than that, they need to be taught that some people go absolutely ape-shi# over property and it could get them killed!

Eve
 

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