(5-16-22) Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Jeffrey Ingraham has denied a request by Bryant Rhoades (31) attorneys to vacate his plea for aggravated murder, robbery, burglary and other charges in the 2011 shooting deaths of Robert and Colleen Grube in their Fort Recovery home.
- Motion To Vacate Rhoades ‘Alford Plea’ Filed In Grube Deaths
- ‘Free Rhoades’ Facebook Page Looks To Overturn 2011 Grube Murder Convictions
What is an Alford plea?
An Alford plea in United States law, is a guilty plea in criminal court,whereby a defendant in a criminal case does not admit to the criminal act and asserts innocence. In entering an Alford plea, the defendant admits that the evidence presented by the prosecution would be likely to persuade a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Alford pleas are legally permissible in nearly all U.S. federal and state courts, but are not allowed in the state courts of Indiana, Michigan, and New Jersey, or in the courts of the United States Armed Forces.
Judge Ingraham found no justification for the defendant’s request for an evidentiary hearing in the case. Rhoades entered an alford plea to the charges against him and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. His co-defendant, Trevin Roark, also received the same sentence. The Grube’s were murdered in their home during an apparent robbery.
Rhoades is currently housed in the Ohio State Penitentiary in Youngstown.
Mercer County Outlook 