BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—In a recent ruling, the Third District Court of Appeals upheld yet another murder conviction in Crawford County, this time in the case of Robert Pinyerd who was charged with the murder of Cynthia Jo Heath in February of 2022.
Heath was tragically shot in the head three times shortly after returning home from breakfast.
The trial began on March 27, 2023, in the Crawford County Common Pleas Court with Judge Sean Leuthold presiding over the case.
During the trial, Pinyerd argued that he was deprived of due process and a fair trial when the prosecution was allowed to present testimony from a witness that was only disclosed one week before the trial. Pinyerd’s attorney, Tom Nicholson, attempted to prevent the witness from testifying, but the court ultimately allowed it.
In a thorough 28-page decision, the Appellate Court ruled that there was no miscarriage of justice in allowing the witness to testify.
After just over three hours of deliberation, the jury found Pinyerd guilty of aggravated murder with a gun specification.
Judge Leuthold handed down a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, as well as an additional three years on the gun specification charge. Pinyerd is currently serving his sentence at the Warren Correctional Institution.