15-year-old Mark Klima was murdered
by Mark Wayne Wiles in Rootstown, Ohio on August 7, 1985. Wiles was executed by
lethal injection 27 years later on April 8, 2012. Let us hear from Klima’s
cousin, John Craig and an article from
Klima’s Aunt. We will not forget Mark Kilma and may he rest in peace. and we will not forget Mark Klima and may he rest in peace.
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INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/wiles1291.htm
Summary: In 1985, Mark Wayne Wiles
burglarized the Klima family home and killed Mark Klima. In 1982, Wiles went to
work as a part-time laborer for Charles and Carol Klima on their horse farm in
Rootstown, where they lived with their son Mark. One day in early 1983, the
family learned that $200 in cash was missing and the home had been ransacked.
That same day, Wiles had reported for work and was the only other person on the
farm that day, but he could not be found after the Klimas learned of the
missing cash, and he did not return to collect his paycheck or for that matter
return to work any longer on the farm. In the spring of that year, Wiles began
serving a 4-to-25 year sentence in an Ohio prison for an unrelated burglary he
had committed the previous year. On August 7, 1985, after serving eighteen
months of this sentence, Wiles returned to the Klima farm, entered the unlocked
house while the family was gone and began to search the house for valuables.
While he was still in the house, 15-year-old Mark Klima returned and confronted
him. Wiles stabbed the boy 24 times with a 12-inch kitchen knife, stole
approximately $260 and fled. Carol Klima returned home to find her unconscious
son lying on the floor with a knife buried in his back. Later that day, Mark
Klima died in a hospital emergency room. Wiles initially fled from the
authorities. Five days after the murder, however, he turned himself in to the
police in Savannah, Georgia, telling them that he was wanted for murder in
Ohio. After being informed of his rights, he told the police what he had done
and signed a confession admitting that he had killed Mark. A state grand jury
indicted Wiles for aggravated murder and two counts of aggravated burglary—one
for the 1985 home invasion, one for the 1983 $200 theft. He waived his right to
a jury, and a three-judge panel heard his case. After the guilt phase of the
proceedings, the court determined that there was insufficient evidence that he
had committed the 1983 burglary but convicted him on the aggravated-murder and
the other aggravated-burglary count. After a mitigation hearing, the court
determined that neither Wiles' youth (he was 22-years old at the time of the
murder) nor his confession outweighed the aggravating circumstances of his
crime. The court imposed a death sentence, and the Ohio Court of Appeals and
the Ohio Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and sentence. Mark Klima was a
straight A student who was about to enter his sophomore year of high school.
UPDATE: The Ohio Parole Board has unanimously rejected a clemency request from
Mark Wiles. In a statement, members of te board wrote, “While Wiles does
express remorse and admits to committing the offense, that remorse and
acceptance of responsibility does not mitigate nor outweigh the brutal attack
on a defenseless young man who was beaten and stabbed repeatedly in his own
home. Wiles’ remorse, acceptance of responsibility and good institutional
conduct do not equate to a substantial enough reason to recommend clemency.”
Wiles was uncooperative during an interview with the state parole board earlier
this month, telling members that he didn’t deserve clemency and refusing to
answer questions. According to documents, “Wiles was noticeably nervous,
emotional and seemed overwhelmed by the process. Wiles left the interview room.
The board remained several minutes to see if he would change his mind, but
prison staff informed the board that Wiles had chosen to leave the building.”
Wiles's attorneys had a taped apology from Wiles sent to the family of the
murder victim — a move parole board members criticized as insensitive. Mark
Klima’s parents turned the recording over to prosecutors without watching it.
John Craig, a cousin of Wiles' victim Mark
Klima and a witness of the execution, appeared briefly before reporters to
respond to Wiles' last words.
"It's my opinion that
Mark Wiles gave up his citizenship to Ohio when he murdered my cousin and
became an inmate, more or less a condemned man," Craig said.
The other side of death-row
inmate's story: Virginia Klima Petrie
By Plain
Dealer guest columnist
on April 14, 2012 at 6:30 AM
In his
April 8 Forum article, the Rev. Geoffrey A. Black, leader of the United Church
of Christ, appeals to Gov. John Kasich to show mercy and commute the sentence
of condemned killer Mark Wiles to life in prison.
There are
always two sides to every story. Unfortunately, if you murder the one person
who can tell the story, we only hear one side.
That
doesn't seem fair. As the aunt of the victim, Mark Klima, allow me to represent
that boy who was murdered by Wiles more than 25 years ago. I have personally been
to the trial and the clemency hearing and will state the facts brought to light
on both occasions.
• Mark
Wiles' mother asked Carol Klima to give her son a job on the Klima horse farm
in Rootstown. Carol Klima did just that.
• Mark
Wiles was found in the Klima home more than once without permission while in
her employ. She forgave him, yet he continued to abuse her trust.
• Mark
Wiles admitted to friends that he'd taken money, while abusing the trust this
family extended to him and his family before he ever went to prison.
• The
Klima family never sought to bring charges against the teenager at that time.
• Mark
Wiles continued to steal from other families and was sent to prison for armed
robbery.
• He was
given from four to 25 years for this crime.
•
Eighteen months into that sentence, he was given "shock probation."
He exhibited good behavior while in Mansfield Reformatory (now Mansfield
Corrections). He also had at least one letter from people who knew him in years
past. That one letter was written by his former employer, Carol Klima!
• Eleven
months later, he returned to that same farm, watched the adults leave the house
early in the morning, and then went into the house, locked the doors behind him
and began once again pilfering everything he could.
• He
stole money at that time, but, more importantly, he stole the life of their
only son. He bludgeoned the boy in the living room of his own home because he
knew the boy could identify him.
• And
then he ran away.
• He
denied being on the property when questioned, and he ran away again.
• When he
couldn't run any farther, because the money he stole ran out, he confessed to
the crime and was brought back to Ohio to stand trial.
• Mark
Wiles was sentenced to die by a panel of three judges, as was his choice.
• He has
never wanted to appeal his sentence.
• He has
lived for more than 25 years longer than the life he snuffed out before the boy
could come of age.
I, too,
am a practicing Christian. I, too, believe in a merciful and loving God. Regardless
of my religion, I am a citizen in a country that is civilized and upholds its
laws. When there are laws in place that govern our behavior, we are expected to
abide by those laws. The court has repeatedly denied Mark Wiles clemency, for
the above reasons and more. Perhaps it behooves Rev. Black to delve more deeply
into his subject matter.
Virginia
Klima Petrie is Mark Klima's aunt.
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