Larry Ralston

Larry M. Ralston (born July 5, 1949) is an American serial killer and rapist who kidnapped and killed between four and five girls and young women in Ohio from 1975 to 1977. Originally sentenced to die in the electric chair, Ralston's sentence was later commuted to four life sentences with a chance of parole, although all of his applications have been denied.

Background Larry M. Ralston was born on July 5, 1949. Though not much was reported about his childhood, when Ralston was 17, he left Norwood High School and joined the Army, completing his high school education while in service. When he returned, Ralston did not have a job, and by the time of his 1977 arrest, he was living at his parents' house. Later that day, Harmon's parents became wary after she failed to show up for a dental appointment. A month later, on October 5, Harmon's skeletal remains were found scattered across a 2000-foot area along Braun Road. Six months after her remains were found, her parents offered information that lead to an arrest in the case.

On January 15, 1977, 15-year-old Elaina Bear, along with her friend Debbie Whitt, went to a party. After it was over, the two decided to hitchhike home, and were picked up by a man who later dropped Elaina off near a tavern on Kennan Avenue. The area where the girls were raped was about 4 miles away from where the body of a young woman was found, and police, who were now probing the murders of 12 women in the area, guessed that the perpetrator was a local. On November 15, 1977, Ralston was arrested as a suspect in the rapes. Later that November, Ralston was charged with the murders based upon the discovery of his name in McCrobie's address book. He pleaded innocent during his arraignment.

The trial of Larry Ralston in Elaina Bear's murder began in April 1978. The jury was composed of six men and six women. Though some jurors said the defense put on a good case, they were ultimately swayed by Ralston's confession. On May 4, 1978, after more than seven hours of deliberation, the jury found Ralston guilty of killing Elaina Bear, and just over a month later, he was sentenced to death, with a scheduled execution date set for October 31, 1978. On July 6, 1978, Ralston was convicted of killing Diane McCrobie and was sentenced to life imprisonment. On July 26, his original death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ohio's death penalty was unconstitutional. In 1999, he became eligible for parole, though his request to be released was dismissed. In 2018, another bid for parole was denied.