Prosecutor opposes parole for men convicted in 1978 killing of Cincinnati police officer
Two men who were convicted in the 1978 killing of a Cincinnati police officer will go before the state's parole board at the end of the month, seeking to be released.
Wayne Reed, 72, and Russell Bell, 71, have each sought parole multiple times over the last two decades. Their last parole hearings were in 2019. The board has repeatedly denied their requests.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said in an interview that justice demands Reed and Bell spend the rest of their lives behind bars.
"These two are cold-blooded killers," Powers said. "But for a glitch in the law, they would be on death row."
Months before the men were convicted of aggravated murder in 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Ohio's death penalty law. Despite that, a Hamilton County judge sentenced both to death. But in 1979, a state appeals court overturned their death sentences, citing the Supreme Court's ruling.
At the time, a sentence of life without the possibility of parole was not an option. Reed, who fired the gun that killed Officer Charles Burdsall, was sentenced to 22 years to life. Bell was sentenced to 20 years to life.
Powers said keeping the men in prison will serve as a deterrent to others. She said anyone convicted of killing a police officer needs to "face the full weight of justice."
What happened
The shooting happened the night of July 14, 1978. Reed and Bell planned to rob a convenience store in Camp Washington, but an off-duty Cincinnati police officer, who went to the store that night, prevented it from happening. Reed and Bell fled in a car.
According to news reports at the time, Burdsall spotted Reed and Bell's car soon after and pulled them over on West McMicken Avenue. A 19-year-old citizen, David Mellon, was doing a ride-along with Burdsall that night. As Burdsall walked toward the car, he ordered Reed and Bell out of the car.
After both men got out, Reed shot Burdsall in the face, and he fell to the pavement. Reed fired more shots, striking the officer in the back. Mellon told The Enquirer in 1978 that he also had gotten out of the police car and that several shots were fired at him as he tried to take cover. A bullet grazed his back.
Mellon, whose father was a police officer, picked up Burdsall's gun and fired six times at the car as Reed and Bell drove away. He then picked up Burdsall's police radio and called for help.
Burdsall, who was 29, left behind a wife and three children.
Powers is asking the public to go to her office's website and submit letters electronically to the parole board, opposing the release of Reed and Bell.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor opposes parole in 1978 killing of Cincinnati officer
