Here are the questions.

Do you have information to share?

  1. Are the right people convicted for the murder of Lydia Ashworth?
  2. Were guilty people let go or given immunity?
  3. Four suspects were identified by the Bellaire Police Department: Tyler Day, Travis Mitchell, Devin Fuller, and Brandon Phelps.  These suspects were identified very soon after the body was discovered.  What specific evidence did the BPD have to support this?
  4. Why did Chief Michael Kovalyk not recuse himself from the investigation of the Lydia Ashworth murder case as it pertained to Brandon Phelps, given 1) his intimate and contentious history with the Phelps Family and 2) that he’d identified Brandon as a suspect early on?  Does anyone have any information about the relationship between Chief Michael Kovalyk and Phelps or any of the other suspects?
  5. Did the BPD unduly coerce the citizens of Bellaire during the investigation of this case?
  6. Why was Travis Mitchell a suspect but not charged?  It appears he has moved on to international crime and is currently being held in San Diego, CA.
  7. Regarding Tyler Day as a suspect:
    1. Why was Tyler Day not charged, especially given:
      1. that he admitted to Kyle Corbett that he’d been involved in the robbery (but not the murder,)
      2. that he was witnessed by Kyle Corbett to have a pocket full of old currency that was similar to that stolen from Lydia Ashworth,
      3. that he contradicted himself in the interrogation performed by Sheriff’s Detective Ryan Allar:
        1. he stated he and Ashley Grandstaff stayed at the Sun Video from 6:00pm until it closed at 9:00pm, but later in the same interview, he stated he left Sun Video and arrived at the Hobby Shop at 7:00pm, and  
        2. he could not recall what he was doing or where he was between 2:00pm and 6:00pm on the eve of the murder.
    2. Why was Ashley Grandstaff, Tyler Day’s alibi, never interviewed?  Ashley has stated:
      1. she was never questioned by any law enforcement officials regarding her whereabouts from 2:00pm on 6/29/2012 to 3:30am on 6/30/2012.
      2. she picked up Tyler Day around 12:00-1:00pm on 6/29/2012 and that they went to Steubenville to get heroin.  They returned to her house to do the heroin.
      3. she and Tyler Day went to Sun Video, arriving around 4:00-5:00pm.  They both used the tanning facilities there.  Sun Video didn’t have the video they were looking for, so they left around 6:00pm and went to the Hobby Shop.  They found their desired video there and went to her house to watch it.
      4. she took Tyler Day back home after watching the movie, which was around 10:00-11:00pm.  She states that there is no chance that it was after midnight when she took him home to his mother’s house.
    3. Tyler Day stated in his interview that he did not have a key to his mother’s house and that he had to knock to be let in.  Was Tyler Day’s mother or other household residents ever questioned about his arrival at home that evening?  If not, why not?
  8. Were searches of any of the suspects’ homes for evidence ever conducted?
  9. Why were Devin Fuller and Brandon Phelps charged with rape, when, on 7/24/2012, the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation report was received, which indicated that Lydia Ashworth was not raped?
  10. An affidavit that was written by Claire Kovalyk, daughter of then Chief-of-Police Kovalyk, went missing.  Does anyone know where that is?
  11. Given the extremely small size of the town and the apparent rampant gossip about the case, why were the defendants not granted a change-of-venue to Columbus?
  12. As part of a plea bargain, Phelps was charged with the burglary of Virginia Paul.  
    1. What evidence existed to connect Phelps to that, given that the items were discovered missing in August of 2012, and Phelps has been incarcerated since July 5th, 2012?
    2. What led BPD to contact Virginia Paul in the first place?
  13. It is rumored that Karissa Dutcher wrote Brandon Phelps a letter telling him she was feeling threatened by Chief Kovalyk... that he was threatening her and her mother with jail if she did not testify against Phelps and/or Fuller. Is this true?
  14. The following 8th amendment violations have been raised by Phelps.  Does anyone have information on these assertions?
    1. Phelps was stuck in isolation shortly after he went to jail for probation violation on July 5th, 2012.
    2. Gene Beckett has been purported to have only let him shower once a week and he supposedly made the water very hot.
    3. Phelps was fed diet trays for his meals, though he was not overweight.
    4. Phelps was not allowed contact with his family (or anyone.) 
    5. Phelps’ cell contained only a mat, which was on the floor. 
    6. Gene Beckett was caught on camera opening Phelps’ mail and shredding it. 
    7. Every week, Phelps was being questioned by law enforcement and prison officials… even after he’d asked for a lawyer.