Rebecca Cade: Murder, Trial, and Acquittal in Chillicothe

The murder of Rebecca Cade, a 31-year-old woman from Chillicothe, Ohio, remains officially unsolved. Cade was beaten and stabbed on the evening of October 12, 2015, and died caught on a chain-link fence she had been trying to climb to escape her attacker. The only person ever charged, 27-year-old Donnie Cochenour Jr., was acquitted of her murder by a Ross County jury in April 2017 and released that same evening.¹

How Her Body Was Found

Construction workers arriving at an American Electric Power substation at the dead end of North Brownell Street on the morning of October 13, 2015, found Cade hanging from the perimeter fence. She was caught by the sleeve of her sweatshirt and suspended in a position that at first made the workers think she was a mannequin.² Neighbors who had seen the figure on the fence had assumed it was a Halloween decoration.³

Investigators concluded Cade had been trying to pull herself over the fence when her clothing snagged, trapping her. A bloody rock recovered at the scene had been used in the assault.⁴ The initial cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and neck, with defensive wounds on her arms.⁵

What the Autopsy Showed

Forensic pathologist Dr. Bryan Casto testified at trial that Cade had a broken nose, bruising to her hands, chin, and jaw, and injuries to her spine and brain. Her face bore up to five cuts and two stab wounds roughly two inches deep. A burn mark on her back had penetrated three layers of clothing and was estimated to have occurred around the time of death.²

Both of her bicep muscles were torn or nearly severed, consistent with her trying to haul herself over the fence. Dr. Casto testified that Cade would not have died immediately from her injuries and was still capable of moving after the initial attack.²

Who Was Charged

Donnie Cochenour Jr. was arrested the evening of October 13, 2015, at a home on Three Locks Road where his sister had helped him travel after the killing.¹ He was charged with murder, held on a $2 million bond, and pleaded not guilty.⁴ Chillicothe Police Chief Keith Washburn said Cochenour and Cade knew each other, and authorities initially cited a “disagreement” as the suspected cause of the attack.⁶

Cochenour spent 18 months in the Ross County Jail and underwent four court-ordered competency evaluations before being declared fit for trial.¹

The Trial

Cochenour was tried in April 2017 in the Ross County Common Pleas Court. Ross County Prosecutor Matthew Schmidt led the state’s case, and Jim Boulger represented Cochenour.¹

The State’s Evidence

State DNA scientist Devonie Herdman testified that blood on Cochenour’s jeans and on a rock found at the scene was consistent with Cade’s DNA. A vaginal swab taken from Cade identified Cochenour’s DNA. A shirt Cochenour had used to dry off at his sister’s home also tested positive for Cade’s blood.² Phone records showed Cochenour arrived at his sister Lisa Frost’s home on Scioto Avenue to shower by 10:33 p.m. on October 12.⁷

Stephena Secrest, Frost’s roommate, testified that Frost told her that night that Cochenour had arrived covered in blood and mud.²

The Sister Who Changed Her Story

Lisa Frost had initially told police her brother confessed to killing Cade. She pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence for disposing of his bloodstained clothing in a neighbor’s trash can, cleaning the bathroom where he showered, and helping him leave Chillicothe, and she served one year in prison for those charges.²

On the stand, Frost reversed herself. She testified she had lied to police about the confession because she was scared and feared going to jail, and said she had been addicted to heroin and methamphetamine at the time and was “liable to lie on anybody” to avoid trouble. “He did not do this. He did not tell me he did this,” she said of her brother.²

Cochenour’s Own Account

Cochenour testified he had been drinking and was unemployed and homeless at the time. His account shifted. He first said he saw Cade walk past a bonfire and did not see her again, then acknowledged hitting her in the face after she bit his hand, and admitted having sex with her that night. He denied using a stone or a knife.⁷

The Defense Theory

Boulger argued that other people had both motive and opportunity to kill Cade. He pointed to unidentified DNA contributors on multiple pieces of evidence, including muddy jeans, material under Cade’s fingernails, and the shirt Cochenour used to dry off. He also challenged the prosecution’s timeline, arguing Cade may have died closer to 8 a.m. on October 13 rather than the previous night.⁷

Defense witness Mariah Cool testified she saw Cade getting into a car with three other people around midnight on October 13, more than an hour after the state’s timeline for the attack. Cool said she later saw one of the men from that car wearing boots that appeared to have dried blood on them.⁸

The Verdict

The jury deliberated about 12 hours over two days. Around noon on Friday it reported being deadlocked, and Judge Michael Ater instructed it to continue. The verdict came back at roughly 5:20 p.m. and was read at 5:45 p.m.: not guilty.⁹ Cochenour was ordered released from the Ross County Jail that evening because he faced no other pending charges. Prosecutor Schmidt said he was “very disappointed, not only for Rebecca Cade’s family but the community as well.”¹ Cade’s parents, Mike and Cindy Cade, were in the courtroom and declined to speak to reporters.

After the Acquittal

Days after the verdict, Mariah Cool reported to the Ross County Sheriff’s Office that Lisa Frost had contacted her about the trial and threatened that a warrant would be issued for her arrest if she did not cooperate. Cool said Frost then arrived at her home with an unidentified man in a suit who claimed to be a detective but refused to show identification; the two left after Cool said she was calling police. As of April 2017 the incident was under investigation for possible witness intimidation and impersonation of a police officer, with no charges filed. Prosecutor Schmidt said he intended to pursue charges if the allegations were substantiated.⁸

Cochenour was back in custody within months. On August 28, 2017, he was charged with assault for allegedly punching a 58-year-old man in the face. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond. A week later, on September 4, 2017, he was arrested again and charged with aggravated robbery; police said he punched a man, kicked him in the ribs, brandished a pocket knife, and stole four dollars.¹⁰

Rebecca Cade’s case is officially considered closed following Cochenour’s acquittal, and no other suspects have been publicly identified.¹¹

Who Rebecca Cade Was

Rebecca Cade was born on November 26, 1983, in Detroit, Michigan. She was a member of Landmark Christian Church in Chillicothe and is survived by her parents, Pastor Michael and Cynthia Cade, her sister Jayne, and her brothers David and Jacob.¹² She had a 15-month-old son, Bryan, who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome and was in the custody of his paternal aunt, Denise Hughes. Hughes said Cade loved the child and called to check on him seven to eight times a day.⁴

Was Her Death Linked to Other Chillicothe Cases?

Cade’s killing came during a period when at least six women from the Chillicothe area went missing or were found dead under suspicious circumstances between 2014 and 2015, prompting a multi-agency task force that included the Chillicothe Police Department, the Ross County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.¹³ Authorities said they found no evidence linking a single perpetrator to the cases, and Chief Washburn said no one had identified a serial killer or established a definitive connection among the deaths.¹¹ Cade’s case was investigated and prosecuted on its own facts, not as part of that cluster.

1
Chillicothe Gazette. Jury Still Out in Donnie Cochenour Murder Trial
2
Chillicothe Gazette. Cochenour’s Sister Testifies She Lied to Police
3
CBS News. Neighbors Thought Slain Woman’s Body on Fence Was Halloween Decoration
4
CBS News. Cops: Ohio Murder Victim Climbed Fence to Escape Attacker
5
NBC News. Dismissed as Halloween Prop, Body Turns Out to Be Murder Victim
6
Newsweek. Man Arrested After Body of Deceased Woman Mistaken for Halloween Decoration
7
Chillicothe Gazette. Judge Questions Donnie Cochenour, Jury
8
Chillicothe Gazette. Donnie Cochenour Murder Trial: Witness Reports Intimidation
9
Columbus Dispatch. Chillicothe Man Acquitted of Woman’s Slaying
10
Chillicothe Gazette. Donnie Cochenour Jr. Charged With Aggravated Robbery
11
Chillicothe Gazette. Five Years and Still Too Few Answers in Chillicothe Missing Women Cases
12
Legacy.com. Rebecca Cade Obituary
13
CBS News. Indictment in Slaying in Ohio City Troubled by Disappearances