Nathan Graham, who acted as his own lawyer, was the last of six people to face charges in the beating of the girl in February 1999. Others already convicted had identified him as the ringleader. After deliberating for about 10 hours over two days, the Hancock County Common Pleas Court jury also convicted Mr. Graham of six other counts, including kidnapping, rape and felonious assault. Prosecutors said the group was fueled by alcohol, drugs and jealousy when they tortured the girl for more than eight hours. They punched and kicked her, sexually assaulted her, and stuffed her into a 6-foot deep pipe, piling bricks and chunks of cement on top of her, prosecutors said.
Authorities think the girl was in the pipe for about two hours.
My goal is that he never steps foot in free society again. Mr. Fry said the girl has recovered physically but not emotionally. Mr. Graham said he never hit the girl and was trying to protect her from the others. He testified that he was the one who pulled her out of the pipe. He said he carried her to his house, put a blanket around her, made her vegetable soup and let her sleep on his couch.