Starcher sentenced for rape and kidnapping

POMEROY, Ohio – The nightmare may never be over for the victim of three individuals, but the last of the three has been sentenced to prison for her part in the attempted murder of a woman.

Marissa Starcher, 35, appeared before Judge Carson Crow in the Meigs County Court of Common Pleas with her attorney Lori Silcott. Representing the state were Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney James Stanley and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Jeff Adkins.

Starcher was sentenced for being one of three perpetrators in a “heinous crime” as described by Stanley. Starcher was sentenced to 12 years in prison for her part in a horrific chain of events that nearly led to the death of the victim. According to the Stanley, Starcher along with Brook Watson and Nathan Grimm brutally assaulted the victim, kidnapping the woman, viciously brutalizing her including sexual assault before leaving her for dead off the side of a cliff along Forked Run Lake in March of 2018. In addition to prison time, Starcher will face five years of community control upon release and must register as a Tier 3 Sex Offender.

“She was not the ring leader, but responsible for her actions,” Stanley said during sentencing to the court concerning Starcher.

Previously Stanley said Watson was the “ring leader” in the events that involved the victim being beaten with a base ball bat, a sledge hammer, and a broom handle. Her hair was viciously cut as well during what the prosecution described as “torture” which also involved sexual assault. The victim was pushed off a cliff and left by the defendants in the case. The victim had managed to crawl up from the steep embankment and make it to a house at least a quarter of a mile away for assistance. According to Stanley, the injury to the victim’s arm was so severe first responders thought it was a gun shot wound initially. It was in fact a compound fracture which required several surgeries to correct. Starcher had been part of ripping the hair from the victim and sexually assaulting her with a broom handle. The victim was blindfolded and placed into a car and was drove to Putnam Drive next to Forked Run Lake. While in the car, the victim stated that her hair was cut but did not know by whom. Once they arrived to a pull-off spot on Putnam Drive overlooking the lake, the victim stated that she was drug from the car and shoved over a cliff which was several feet down where she sustained the severe injury to her arm.

Starcher was also indicted in another case involving drugs to which she was sentenced to a total of 12 months on a possession charge and six months on a OVI charge. The sentence for each of those charges are to be served concurrently to each other and to the 12 years she received for kidnapping and rape.

Watson was previously sentenced as is serving 22 years in prison. Grimm is serving a 15 year sentence for his part.

For more on the story click the link below.