Saturday, February 06, 1999
Witness comes forward in 1992 beating death of boy
Prosecutor: Teen recalls key details
BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Since arriving on death row in 1992, Darryl Gumm and Michael Bies have tried to win their freedom by arguing that no one actually saw them kill the 10-year-old victim.
Seven years later, prosecutors say, a traumatized teen-ager is about to prove them wrong.
Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen announced Friday that police have found a witness to the death of Aaron Raines.
He said the witness, now 18, was 12 years old when he hid inside an abandoned building in Lower Price Hill while Mr. Gumm and Mr. Bies beat Aaron to death with sticks, a lead pipe and a slab of concrete.
Mr. Allen said the boy did not come forward at the time of the attack because he was terrified.
“What that boy must have witnessed is beyond comprehension,” Mr. Allen said. “It was horrific.”
He said the teen-ager, who was not identified, knew one of the assailants and was afraid for his life.
Mr. Allen said the teen moved out of town a short time later and did not know that Mr. Gumm and Mr. Bies had been convicted of the crime when he finally decided to tell police his story last month.
“I think it was preying on his mind,” Mr. Allen said.
Although the two men already have been convicted and sentenced to death, Mr. Allen said a sworn statement from the new witness should help prosecutors fight the convicted killers' efforts to appeal their sentences.
Mr. Gumm's case now is before a federal appellate court, while Mr. Bies still is appealing in state court.
An execution date has not been set for either man.
Mr. Allen said he has contacted the Ohio Attorney General's Office and will submit a statement from the witness to bolster the state's case.
He said police are certain the teen-ager witnessed the May 12, 1992, murder because he can recall details about the beating and the weapons that only police or the killers could know.
The teen told police he was one of Aaron's friends and he was playing in the building when the two men lured Aaron inside.
The boy apparently hid while the men beat Aaron to death, Mr. Allen said.
At their trials, prosecutors said Mr. Gumm and Mr. Bies, both of Hazard, Ky., lured the boy into the building with a promise of $10 to help them remove scrap metal.
Mr. Allen said the new information could help speed the appeals process that has delayed the killers' execution.
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