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Teens sentenced in Victoria Schafer's death

Justin Reutter   | Chillicothe Gazette

LOGAN — The widower of deceased local photographer Victoria Schafer took the podium twice Friday to address the two teenagers involved in her death at Hocking Hills state park in 2019 at the now 17-year-olds' sentencing. 

The two had separate hearings due to separation of defendants in the case, so victim impact statements had to be given twice. 

"I can't imagine what you're going through," Fritz Schafer began. "That's what people say to me, And how could they? Victoria's death was so tragic, so devastating, so senseless, it's unimaginable — whatever I say today is not going to come close to describing how painful this has been for me and for my family." 

Fritz said when Jordan Buckley and his co-defendant, Jaden Churchheus were caught after five "excruciating" weeks, the information they received was disturbing. "They showed a lack of remorse, selling drugs in the high school bathroom, they were members of a gang, and they were bragging about what they did," he said. 

Fritz noted being particularly disturbed to hear that Jaden bragged he "caught a body at 16." 

Judge Jonah M. Saving committed both defendants to the custody of the Ohio Department of Youth Services to be held in a juvenile detention center for a minimum sentence of three years, with a maximum sentence of until both reach the age of 21. 

Fritz described the gruesome injuries — both external and internal — that Victoria suffered when a six foot, 74-pound log that Buckley and Churchheus pushed or kicked off the cliff, which hit her on the head, quickly killing her. 

Fritz met Victoria at a beach in Maine when he was 30 years old. "It was love at first sight," he said. "We became instant best friends." 

He described all her accomplishments, including rising from working at placing temps in a temp agency to becoming head of HR at the paper mill in Chillicothe, in 10 years, picking up two degrees in the process. During that time, the couple had four children. 

The night before she died, Victoria was laying in Fritz' arms, he said. She told him something she'd never said before — that she was the happiest at the end of the day every night lying in his arms. 

"At that moment, I was more in love with her than ever before. The next night, she was gone," he said. "Jordan, you said at your last hearing that you hoped to live the rest of your life to honor Victoria. That you wanted to work to see this doesn't happen to anyone else, that one day I can find it in your heart to forgive you. I hope you do those things, because I don't want this to happen to anyone else." 

He urged Jordan to live his life to honor his family, as they care about him and see good in him. As for forgiveness, he stated he didn't know, and remarked that he didn't think he or any 17-year-old could understand what he was asking for, as he had loved Victoria for 22 years. 

The Schafers' eldest daughter, Emily Schafer, spoke on behalf of Victoria's mother, Jennifer Keup.  

"Because of you, Victoria will not see her daughter graduate from grade school. She won't see any more loving notes at her night stand every night. Because of you, Victoria wasn't able to enjoy watching her daughter honored on her high school homecoming court last year or see her graduate this spring. Her other daughter lost the college she worked so hard to get accepted to so she could help out at home. Because of you, her son won't be able to call Victoria to get advice about all the plans he had for his future, as he celebrates his 21st birthday tomorrow." 

Keup said that she would always carry Victoria with her. "She will never leave me, I will carry Victoria in my heart, but I need to know that when you are released from your sentence, that you will become a man who will contribute to society rather than take from it," Keup said. 

Victoria's father, Rick Keup, spoke describing the close bond that he developed with his daughter growing up — through Disney land trips, rowing events in high school, teaching her to drive, taking her to college, watching her fall in love with Fritz and growing to love him as well, even as he was notoriously hard on her previous boyfriends, and being there for the births and childhood of their four grandchildren. 

"I do not know you. I don't know you at all. It appeared likely for five weeks after the death of my daughter that I would never come face to face with the person who so brutally murdered my daughter because you conspired as a group to hide your vicious crime," he said. "And in doing so you have inflicted a pain on my family so deep and intense that it will never leave our hearts." 

Buckley began to weep as her Victoria's father spoke and sobbed as Victoria's sister, Catherine Muth, tearfully described the loss of her sister — absently thinking of texting her when she thinks of her, and missing her sister's advice when she needs it most, and catching glimpses of Victoria's face in their own reflection.  

Churchheus, meanwhile, showed no visible emotion as he listened to accounts of the family and teens. 

Several of the teenagers present the day Victoria was killed described the trauma of watching her die. 

Two of the teenagers described ongoing trauma from the event. For Megan Schultz, one of Victoria's senior reps, this includes recurring nightmares, panic attacks at loud noises, intense fear of going in the woods, and guilt for not being able to stop it. 

"I keep thinking, it could have been me," said Isabella Newsom, one of the other teenagers who was closest to Victoria when she was hit.

Buckley and Churchheus both addressed the family before they were sentenced. "I am so sorry for what has happened, I'm so sorry I was too big of a coward to come forward about what happened, I am very grateful you decided to give me a second chance," said Buckley. 

Churchheus also apologized for what he did, and thanked the family for being merciful. 

Saving asked them both if they understood what they had done. 

"You have a husband that will never have his wife, you have kids around your age that don't have their mother, a sister that doesn't have their sister, a father that doesn't have his daughter," he said. 

Buckley and Churchheus had agreed to plea deals and pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter while appearing in Hocking County Common Pleas Court, but were sent back to juvenile court for the purpose of sentencing.

Both were classified as serious youth offenders and given a three-to-four-and-a-half year suspended sentence in the Hocking County Court of Common Pleas, which is stayed pending completion of the juvenile sentence. 

This means, Saving noted, that if either defendant "screws up" in the course of their juvenile sentence, the state may seek to impose the original stated sentence. 

Finally, Saving urged both teens to do what they have to do and get out to start their own lives, and urged Buckley to "live life to honor Victoria." 

A third teen, Miranda Spencer, who was there the day that Schafer was killed has been charged with one count of obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony.