Ohio teen headed to trial in Craigslist killings

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A teenager is headed to trial in Ohio charged in a deadly scheme to lure victims with phony Craigslist job offers.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in Akron for 17-year-old Brogan Rafferty of Stow.

Rafferty, who was then 16, is suspected of helping his mentor, 53-year-old Richard Beasley of Akron, lure victims with bogus job offers. Beasley will be tried separately.

Three men were killed last year in Noble County in southeast Ohio and Summit County in northeast Ohio after responding to what authorities said were bogus online job postings.

Rafferty, who is being tried as an adult, cannot face execution because he was a juvenile when the crimes occurred. Instead, he could face life in prison.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Beasley.

Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.