By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The term “most serious offense” was used often during Frederick Saunders Jr.’s initial appearance in Crawford County Municipal Court Monday afternoon.
Judge Shane Leuthold set bond at $5 million after County Prosecutor Matthew Crall brought an aggravated murder charge against Saunders, in which Saunders allegedly purposefully caused the death of his father, Frederick Saunders Sr., on Sept. 30. The first-degree felony carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Crall stated Saunders committed the “most serious of offenses” in the alleged attack on his 68-year-old father. Arguing that Saunders has thin ties to the community after moving here seven months ago from Missouri, Crall sought a $1 million bond.
Attorney Adam Stone, who was retained by Saunders’ family late Sunday night, did not believe his client was a flight risk, contesting that Saunders did have family ties to the community with his wife living there.
“This was my client’s father who lost his life,” Stone remarked. “He’s suffering as well.”
Before agreeing to any bond, Municipal Court Judge Shane Leuthold asked Crall for facts from the case. Crall stated that the elder Saunders was taken to the emergency room at the Galion Community Hospital on the night of the incident. After being pronounced deceased, Saunders Sr. was taken to a funeral home where, Crall said, the family attempted to have the body cremated “rather quickly.”
Crall presented Judge Leuthold with photos of the body, which documented multiple marks consistent with a physical beating. The prosecutor said a piece of trim with apparent blood on it was being processed, though he noted that there was no indication it was used as a weapon in the cause of Saunders Sr.’s death.
The preliminary results from the Lucas County Coroner’s Office indicated that Saunders Sr. died as a result of strangulation and blunt force trauma to the skull. Saunders Jr. was taken into investigative custody last Thursday.
“Aggravated murder is the most serious of offenses that we have,” Leuthold said. “Evidence is strong that this was an aggravated murder situation.”
Leuthold added that an elderly man was “defenseless against a younger, stronger gentleman” who had military experience and served tours of duty outside the U.S. Saunders Sr. was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had been missing for a number of days in August before being found.
“(It’s) not a fair fight,” the judge remarked. “This is – at a minimum – a despicable crime and your client is a danger to this community if he did this.”
Leuthold added that he would not allow such an individual to walk out of the jail without a high bond.
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