By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The final chapter in the death of Frederick Saunders Sr. came to a close Monday afternoon as Carla Willoughby was formally sentenced in Crawford County Common Pleas Court.
The Saunders Sr. case and the subsequent investigation dates back to September of 2015 when his death was officially ruled a homicide. Charges were filed against Frederick Saunders Jr. and his wife, Marla Saunders, on Sept. 29, but Willoughby, twin sister to Marla Saunders, was not indicted until the middle of October.
Thirty-seven-year-old Willoughby, of Galion, was charged with an unclassified felony of complicity to commit aggravated murder, felony 1 kidnapping, felony 3 tampering with evidence, and felony 3 obstruction of justice. Though Willoughby was the last person indicted in the case, she was the first to plead guilty. In a hearing on Dec. 21, 2015, Willoughby entered guilty pleas to the third-degree felonies.
County prosecutor Matthew Crall said at the time that his office agreed to drop the most serious charges against Willoughby in light of the fact that neither he nor local police would have known about Saunders Sr.’s suspicious death without the defendant stepping forward.
“There’s vastly different sentence here,” Judge Sean Leuthold said Monday as he compared Willoughby’s sentence to that of her sister’s and brother-in-law’s. “Without the defendant stepping forward, there is a chance the crime may never have been discovered.”
Leuthold noted the months of negotiations that went on in Willoughby’s case and the fact that she cooperated with authorities. A pre-sentence investigation indicated that Willoughby was at a low-risk level of committing another crime, an assessment which Leuthold voiced his agreement.
Willoughby has essentially been on probation since she entered her guilty plea a year ago and assistant prosecutor Ryan Hoovler believed she could be continued on it.
“If it wasn’t for Carla Willoughby, the original charges would never have been filed in this matter,” he said.
When given the chance to speak on her behalf, Willoughby spoke in an earnest, but subdued manner as she talked about doing the right thing.
“I wanted him to have justice,” she told Leuthold.
Before formally sentencing Willoughby, Leuthold noted that two people acted horribly after tensions boiled over with Saunders Sr., who was suffering from health issues. One person, the judge added, acted initially, but her conscience eventually took over.
“Coming forward and doing the right thing – even at the risk to yourself . . . may be the healthiest thing you could do for yourself,” Leuthold said to Willoughby. “The court is impressed . . . It’s rare we see somebody do the right thing and still take responsibility for their actions. You can sleep at night knowing you did the right thing.”
Leuthold sentenced Willoughby to five years on community control for tampering with evidence and obstructing justice. She must also pay a $1,000 fine. The judge informed her attorney, Rolf Whitney, to file a motion for possible early termination in Willoughby’s case.
“This is a very sad chapter in our county’s history,” Leuthold said while applauding Willoughby for doing the right thing.
Marla Saunders pleaded guilty on Nov. 4 to tampering with evidence and obstructing justice and was sentenced to 59 months in prison. Saunders Jr. received a 20-year prison sentence on Aug. 3 for an amended charge of voluntary manslaughter and kidnapping.
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Twenty-eight-year-old Erin Obenour pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree felony burglary and one count of fifth-degree forgery. Though the combined sentences carry a maximum of 17 years in prison, Obenour received four years and 11 months in exchange for her guilty plea. She must pay $350 in restitution to Firelands Federal Credit Union and $1,100 to Chase Bank.
Hoovler said Obenour stole checks from two family members in an effort to “pay off, abuse, or solicit drugs.”
Defense attorney Sebastian Berger agreed to the facts of the case, adding that though his client broke into homes to steal the checks, no one was home at the time. He added that Obenour admitted to her family members right away to what she did.
“There’s no questioning you have a drug problem,” Leuthold said to Obenour.
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Thirty-one-year-old Stefenie Morgan of Galion pleaded guilty in a morning hearing to felony four domestic violence. Morgan was sentenced to five years on community control.