Ex-Morgue Worker Accused Of Sex With Corpse

CINCINNATI -- A grand jury indicted a former employee of a Cincinnati coroner’s office with the abuse of a corpse more than two decades ago, WLWT-TV in Cincinnati reported.
Prosecutors said Kenneth Douglas, 55, of Westwood, Ohio, sexually assaulted the body of 19-year-old Karen Range, who was murdered during an attempted rape Aug. 19, 1982, at her home.

She had been severely beaten and had her throat slashed with a paring knife.

David Steffen was sentenced to death in 1983 for her murder, but his attorneys had argued at trial that he did not rape her.

Investigators said they were unable to eliminate Steffen as a rape suspect by using a blood test on semen found on Range’s body, and DNA testing had not been developed at the time of Steffen’s trial.

A DNA test was performed last year, and Douglas was identified as a suspect after he was convicted March 17 of drug trafficking and ordered to provide a DNA sample.

Investigators discovered that Douglas had worked as a morgue attendant when Range’s body had been at the lab for testing, and prosecutors said he removed her body from a refrigeration unit and sexually assaulted it.

“There are no words to describe the disgust everyone associated with this case feels,” said Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.

If convicted, Douglas faces up to 12 months in prison.

Douglas worked for the coroner's office from 1976 to 1992, and prosecutors added that they are investigating whether any other offenses were committed during that period.

"I think we have an obligation to the residents of this county to review every autopsy that occurred in his 16 years of service," Deters said.

Steffen admitted to killing Range and was indicted on two charges related to her slaying, but his attorneys have argued during appeals that his death sentence should be overturned because he had not raped her.

Tags: Accused, Corpse, Ex-Morgue, Of, Sex, With, Worker

Comment by cye young on July 29, 2008 at 1:59pm: hey i guess he was killing that pussy...lol..lol...lol....its young

Comment by ORANGE MOUND VET.AKA MR.22 SHOTS. on July 29, 2008 at 3:04pm: This old bastard is one sick son of a bitch damn old man some of these living women would have broke u a piece off for some of that social sercuity check.

Comment by GODDESS on July 29, 2008 at 4:49pm: WHAT THE HELL IS THE WORLD COMING TO???? WHEN DID DATING GET SO BAD THAT YOU GOTTA GO OUT AND FUCK A COLD DEAD BITCH............. DAMN AND WASN'T HER THROAT SLIT.. THAT MAKES IT EVEN WORSE... NOT TO MENTION HE CAN ONLY GET UP TO 12 MONTHS.. NOW THATS FUCKED UP.... FOR REAL

Comment by Nikki on July 29, 2008 at 5:39pm: That is sum sick ass shit, who in the hell would do sum crazy ass shit like dat. 12 months ain't shit that's sick as hell yo. I'm sure that's not tha first time that's happened for real, he needs to spend the rest of his life locked tha fuck up getting fucked!!!!

Comment by yaya1020 on July 29, 2008 at 5:50pm: thats nasty!!!

Comment by MR UNTOUCHABLE on July 29, 2008 at 7:25pm: we got some sick muthafuckas up here in cincinnati thats just gross

Comment by cye young on July 29, 2008 at 8:46pm: hey why tho why really i mean its so many ways you can get serviced and you rather do it with the mummy.....shit crazy in the hood.......its young........