Woman who forced stepson, 10, to kill his father is sentenced to life in prison in Defiance County

ToledoBlade.com

December 19, 2013

DEFIANCE – Ten years after the fatal shooting of a Defiance County man, the woman who was married to him at the time was sentenced to life in prison for orchestrating his murder.

Judith Hawkey, 46, of Oakwood, Ohio was found guilty last month following a jury trial in Defiance County Common Pleas Court of aggravated murder, insurance fraud, and four counts of endangering children stemming from the Nov. 3, 2003 death of Robert Breininger.

Judge Joseph Schmenk sentenced Hawkey to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Mr. Breininger’s death originally was ruled accidental after his then-10-year-old son, Corey, told authorities his father was showing him how to use a gun and talking to him about hunting when the gun discharged, killing Mr. Breininger.

Investigators later learned that Hawkey – the boy’s adoptive mother who had been abusive to him – forced him to shoot his father. Hawkey, who was indicted on the charges earlier this year, collected nearly $500,000 in life insurance.

Ohio woman who persuaded stepson, 10, to murder his father gets life

• Robert Breininger, 34, was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head in November 2003 at his home in Mark Center, Ohio

• His death was ruled an accident involving his 10-year-old son, Corey Breininger

• Wife Judith Hawkey collected nearly $500,000 in life insurance

• Ten years later, Corey has testified against his 'evil stepmother', saying she forced him to kill his dad

• Hawkey was this week sentenced to life without the possibility of parole

DailyMail.com

December 22, 2013

An Ohio woman who forced her 10-year-old stepson to fatally shoot his father in November 2003 - which was originally deemed an accident - was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole this week after the stepson testified against her.

Judith Hawkey of Oakwood, Ohio, 46 was described by the judge as 'evil beyond description' when the sentence was handed down in Defiance County Common Pleas Court.

Hawkey’s stepson, Corey Breininger, now 20, revealed to a former teacher about a year ago that Hawkey collected nearly $500,000 in life insurance from Robert.

He says his mother manipulated him to shoot his father and forced him to lie about it.

Breininger testified at Hawkey's trial and will not be charged in his father's death.

'The pain you have put me through should send you straight to hell,' Breininger told the court.

Hawkey was convicted last month of aggravated murder, four counts of endangering a child and insurance fraud in connection to husband Robert Breininger’s death, which she claims was an accident.

Court witnesses said Hawkey showed no remorse during the sentencing and continues to deny her actions.

'He [Corey] shot his father purposely, and made up this whole story,' Hawkey said.

But there was enough evidence to convince the jury that she was completely to blame.

'Relief', Breininger said as he describes his feelings to reporters after the sentencing.

'I feel like she got what she deserved,' he said.

'I was ready to get it off my chest. I was bearing that burden for so many years.'

Corey says now he can get on with his life.

'[I can] stop living in the shadows. I don't have to worry about anything now. My biggest fear... she's gone,' he said.

On November 3, 2003, Defiance County Sheriff's deputies responded to a Mark Center home, where they discovered 34-year-old Robert Breininger's body in a bedroom with a single gunshot wound to the head.

The man's death was originally ruled an accident involving his young son, but 10 years later, an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Breininger's death led to Hawkey's grand jury indictment.

Authorities previously said that Hawkey tortured and abused the boy for over three or four years when he was between the ages of seven and 10.

Trial begins for woman accused of making son kill husband

By Nick Bade - ToledoNewsNow.com

October 29, 2013

DEFIANCE, OH (Toledo News Now) - Testimony began on Monday in the trial of a woman accused of having her 10-year-old son kill his father, her husband.

Judith Hawkey's husband, Robert Breininger was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head on November 3, 2003. On that day, Defiance County Sheriff's deputies and emergency personnel responded to the home on the report of an alleged accidental shooting involving a then 10-year-old boy, Hawkey and Breininger's son.

According to the Defiance County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the case, deputies found Breininger in a bedroom of the couple's home in Mark Center with a single gunshot wound to the head. A coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.

Breininger's death was originally ruled accidental, but further investigation led to Hawkey's indictment by a grand jury in March 2013.

Now, Hawkey is facing six charges, including felony aggravated murder. Hawkey is also charged with four counts of endangering children, one of which is a second-degree felony.

In Court: Woman accused of forcing son to kill husband

ToledoNewsNow.com

April 01, 2013

DEFIANCE COUNTY, OH (Toledo News Now) - Judith Hawkey appeared in court Monday for a pretrial hearing. Hawkey is charged with orchestrating her husband's killing back in 2003.

Attorneys from both sides discussed what evidence they will be bringing to the table. The courts decided to set a future pretrial for the end of this month, with the jury trial for the beginning of next month.

According to the Defiance County prosecutor, Hawkey may have forced her son to murder her former husband, Robert Breininger.

Breininger was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head back on Nov. 3, 2003. On that day, Defiance County Sheriff's deputies and emergency personnel responded to the home on the report of an alleged accidental shooting involving a then 10-year-old boy, Hawkey and Breininger's son.

According to the Defiance County Sheriff's Office, who is investigating the case, the day they got the call, deputies found Breininger in a bedroom of the couple's home in Mark Center with a single gunshot wound to the head. A coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.

The death was originally ruled accidental, but further investigation led to Hawkey's grand jury indictment in March 2013 at her first appearance in front of a judge.

Now, Hawkey is facing six charges, including felony aggravated murder. Hawkey is also charged with four counts of endangering children, one of which is a second-degree felony.

Authorities allege that over a three to four-year period, Hawkey tortured and abused the child, who was between the ages of 7 and 10.

Prosecutors tell WTOL 11 Hawkey is the only one facing charges in this case; no charges will be brought against the child.

Hawkey also faces charges for insurance fraud, in connection with an application for life insurance, which she collected after Breininger's death.

She is currently being held at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio on a $3 million bond.

Prosecution: Woman forced child to kill husband

by Megan Sanctorum - ToledoNewsNow.com

March 12, 2013

DEFIANCE COUNTY, OH (Toledo News Now) - A shocking development in a decade-old case: A shooting, once thought to be accidental, is now being called murder. The woman being held responsible may have forced a child to do her bidding, according to the county prosecutor.

Judith Hawkey was in court Tuesday in Defiance County, on charges she orchestrated her husband's killing back in 2003.

The Defiance County Prosecuting Attorney Morris Murray told WTOL 11 these new charges came about because they uncovered new evidence. Although specific details about the nature of the new evidence were not released, prosecutors say it led to Hawkey's arrest.

The victim in this case is Hawkey's former husband, Robert Breininger, who was found dead from a single gunshot wound to the head back on Nov. 3, 2003. On that day, Defiance County Sheriff's deputies and emergency personnel responded to the home on the report of an alleged accidental shooting involving a then 10-year-old boy, Breininger's son.

According to the Defiance County Sheriff's Office, who is investigating the case, the day they got the call, deputies found Breininger in a bedroom of the couple's home in Mark Center with a single gunshot wound to the head. A coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.

"It was claimed at that time, that it was an accident shooting involving a young boy, and that's the way the matter was left," Prosecutor Murray tells WTOL 11.

The death was originally ruled accidental, but further investigation led to Hawkey's grand jury indictment in March 2013 at her first appearance in front of a judge.

"The information on what caused the investigation to be reopened as a homicide is not something I can comment on publicly," says Murray.

Now, Hawkey is facing six charges, including felony aggravated murder. Hawkey is also charged with four counts of endangering children, one of which is a second-degree felony.

Authorities allege that over a three to four-year period, Hawkey tortured and abused a child. The child was between ages 7 and 10 years during the alleged abuse.

Prosecutors tell WTOL 11 Hawkey is the only one facing charges in this case; no charges will be brought against the child.

Hawkey also faces charges for insurance fraud, in connection with an application for life insurance, which she collected after Breininger's death.

An investigation into Breininger's death is ongoing.

Hawkey is currently being held at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio on a $3 million bond. A pretrial hearing is set for April 1.

Judith Hawkey Accused Of Getting Stepson, 10, To Kill Husband

HuffingtonPost.com

March 12, 2013

DEFIANCE, Ohio -- Prosecutors in northern Ohio say a woman somehow persuaded her 10-year-old stepson to kill his own father in a decade-old killing that had initially been ruled accidental.

Authorities in Defiance County have charged Judith Hawkey with aggravated murder, insurance fraud and child endangering in connection with the 2003 death of Robert Breininger.

Hawkey, of Oakwood, pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday and is being held on a $3 million bond.

Authorities reopened the investigation last year. Defiance County Prosecutor Morris Murray says new evidence led to the charges last week.

Murray says Hawkey abused the boy for at least three years before the shooting.

Hawkey's attorney declined to comment on the charges Tuesday.

Ohioan indicted in decade-old killing

Woman allegedly coerced boy, 10, to murder her ex

Rebecca S. Green - The Journal Gazette

March 9, 2013

Nearly 10 years after the death of her husband in Defiance, an Oakwood, Ohio, woman faces a six-count indictment accusing her of murdering him, using a 10-year-old boy to pull the trigger.

A Defiance County grand jury indicted Judith Hawkey, 46, on one count of aggravated murder, four counts of endangering children and one count of insurance fraud. Court documents accuse her of causing a child to commit the murder of her former husband, Robert Breininger.

According to a written statement from Defiance County Prosecutor Morris J. Murray, Hawkey faces a term of life in prison if convicted of aggravated murder. The indictment was handed down earlier in the week but unsealed Friday after Hawkey’s arrest.

Jail records indicate the murder charge involves premeditation.

At 4 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2003, emergency workers arrived at a house at 9463 Kyle St. in Mark Center after a report of an accidental shooting by a 10-year-old boy. On arrival, they found Robert Breininger dead in the bedroom, with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Breininger was pronounced dead at the scene, and the death was initially ruled an accident.

But additional information and an investigation led to the indictment, and evidence suggests she caused “an innocent or irresponsible person” to commit the slaying, Murray said.

The charges of child endangerment relate to the torture and “(cruel) abuse suffered by a child who was between 7 and 10 years old from 2000 to 2003,” according to Murray.

The count of insurance fraud accuses her of illegally collecting life insurance proceeds after her former husband’s death.

Murray said the investigation is ongoing and is asking that anyone with information about Breininger’s death or further information about Hawkey to call the Defiance County Sheriff’s Office at 419-784-1155 or the FBI Crimes against Children Task Force at 419-243-6122.