nerosleuth
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This is an old double homicide case from 1982 in Columbus, Ohio that is still unsolved to this day. It had widespread coverage in the Columbus news media during the early 1980’s.
On the afternoon of Saturday February 20, 1982, police were called to a duplex house on Woodsedge Court in Northeast Columbus after the bodies of Deanna Campbell, 19, and Richard Boyd, 29 were found inside the house by a room mate that lived with Boyd.
The residence had not been burglarized or ransacked. Both victims were shot in the head. Campbell’s auto, a late model Pontiac Trans-Am, was found parked outside the duplex house with damage to the front and rear of her car.
Richard Boyd was a maintenance man for a local realty company. The duplex house that Boyd lived at was owned by his realty company employer. The realty company also owned other duplex houses in the same neighborhood where Boyd resided.
Deanna Campbell was a student at Bliss College in Columbus, Ohio and a 1980 graduate of Brookhaven High School. Campbell was also a free lance model. Campbell did not reside at the duplex house residence that Boyd lived at.
Two days after the double murder, a murder and attempted suicide incident occurred at an apartment complex one and a half miles away from the double homicide location. This incident also had widespread media coverage in the Columbus news media during the early to mid 1980’s.
On the evening of Monday February 22, 1982, Catherine Wanner, 18, was found murdered inside the apartment of Roy Howard Sage, 47, on Elmore Court in Northeast Columbus.
Catherine Wanner was a freshman student majoring in accounting and finance at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and a 1981 graduate of DeSales High School.
Roy Howard Sage was an unemployed carpenter. He had been previously convicted of burglary and was a drug addict.
Sage shot Catherine Wanner and himself in the head and chest. Before undergoing surgery at a local hospital, Sage told police that Wanner hot herself as part of a mutual suicide pact the pair had. A suicide note was found purportedly written by Wanner to her parents.
During the police investigation into the Sage-Wanner shooting incident, a woman contacted and told police investigators that Sage had her write a suicide note before Sage would sell drugs to her.
The police investigation also casted doubts that Wanner committed suicide by shooting herself when she was shot in the left side of the head and the trace metal test came back positive on Wanner’s right hand.
After surviving his suicide attempt, Sage was arrested and charged for the murder of Catherine Wanner. Sage was later convicted of aggravated murder and served over three decades in an Ohio prison for the murder of Catherine Wanner. Sage was released from prison sometime during the mid 2010’s and died a few years later in 2018.
During Sage’s murder trial, it was revealed that Deanna Campbell was Sage’s former girlfriend. It was also revealed that Sage held parties at his former home on Lenore Avenue where he gave drugs and engaged in sexual activities with Wanner and other high school age girls.
The police believed that Sage, Boyd, Campbell, and Wanner were all acquainted with each other.
Even though the Columbus newspapers did report that Sage was a person of interest, Sage was never charged with the murders of Deanna Campbell and Richard Boyd.
For many years the parents of Deanna Campbell tried to resolve the investigation into the murder of their daughter. They had a small ad printed in the Columbus newspaper in honor of her memory.
At the Find a Grave website, a Columbus newspaper article is in the memorials for Deanna Campbell, Richard Boyd, and Catherine Wanner.
The Ohio Attorney General website has Deanna’s name misspelled in the case profile about her unsolved murder.
It has been 42 years since since the murders of Deanna Campbell and Richard Boyd occurred. If anyone has any information concerning the unsolved homicide of Deanna Campbell and Richard Boyd, contact the Ohio Attorney General website to submit a tip.
Sources:
Ohio Attorney General Deanna Campbell
Ohio Attorney General Richard Boyd
Deanna Campbell Memorial
Catherine Wanner Memorial
On the afternoon of Saturday February 20, 1982, police were called to a duplex house on Woodsedge Court in Northeast Columbus after the bodies of Deanna Campbell, 19, and Richard Boyd, 29 were found inside the house by a room mate that lived with Boyd.
The residence had not been burglarized or ransacked. Both victims were shot in the head. Campbell’s auto, a late model Pontiac Trans-Am, was found parked outside the duplex house with damage to the front and rear of her car.
Richard Boyd was a maintenance man for a local realty company. The duplex house that Boyd lived at was owned by his realty company employer. The realty company also owned other duplex houses in the same neighborhood where Boyd resided.
Deanna Campbell was a student at Bliss College in Columbus, Ohio and a 1980 graduate of Brookhaven High School. Campbell was also a free lance model. Campbell did not reside at the duplex house residence that Boyd lived at.
Two days after the double murder, a murder and attempted suicide incident occurred at an apartment complex one and a half miles away from the double homicide location. This incident also had widespread media coverage in the Columbus news media during the early to mid 1980’s.
On the evening of Monday February 22, 1982, Catherine Wanner, 18, was found murdered inside the apartment of Roy Howard Sage, 47, on Elmore Court in Northeast Columbus.
Catherine Wanner was a freshman student majoring in accounting and finance at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and a 1981 graduate of DeSales High School.
Roy Howard Sage was an unemployed carpenter. He had been previously convicted of burglary and was a drug addict.
Sage shot Catherine Wanner and himself in the head and chest. Before undergoing surgery at a local hospital, Sage told police that Wanner hot herself as part of a mutual suicide pact the pair had. A suicide note was found purportedly written by Wanner to her parents.
During the police investigation into the Sage-Wanner shooting incident, a woman contacted and told police investigators that Sage had her write a suicide note before Sage would sell drugs to her.
The police investigation also casted doubts that Wanner committed suicide by shooting herself when she was shot in the left side of the head and the trace metal test came back positive on Wanner’s right hand.
After surviving his suicide attempt, Sage was arrested and charged for the murder of Catherine Wanner. Sage was later convicted of aggravated murder and served over three decades in an Ohio prison for the murder of Catherine Wanner. Sage was released from prison sometime during the mid 2010’s and died a few years later in 2018.
During Sage’s murder trial, it was revealed that Deanna Campbell was Sage’s former girlfriend. It was also revealed that Sage held parties at his former home on Lenore Avenue where he gave drugs and engaged in sexual activities with Wanner and other high school age girls.
The police believed that Sage, Boyd, Campbell, and Wanner were all acquainted with each other.
Even though the Columbus newspapers did report that Sage was a person of interest, Sage was never charged with the murders of Deanna Campbell and Richard Boyd.
For many years the parents of Deanna Campbell tried to resolve the investigation into the murder of their daughter. They had a small ad printed in the Columbus newspaper in honor of her memory.
At the Find a Grave website, a Columbus newspaper article is in the memorials for Deanna Campbell, Richard Boyd, and Catherine Wanner.
The Ohio Attorney General website has Deanna’s name misspelled in the case profile about her unsolved murder.
It has been 42 years since since the murders of Deanna Campbell and Richard Boyd occurred. If anyone has any information concerning the unsolved homicide of Deanna Campbell and Richard Boyd, contact the Ohio Attorney General website to submit a tip.
Sources:
Ohio Attorney General Deanna Campbell
Ohio Attorney General Richard Boyd
Deanna Campbell Memorial
Catherine Wanner Memorial