Posted: 02/08/2011Last Updated: 1 hour and 15 minutes ago
By Ian Preuth / Contributed by Anthony Mirones
CINCINNATI - A man who has been a longtime suspect in his wife's 2002 murder has now been officially charged.
The Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday announced the indictment of 56-year-old Daniel T. Paynter in the murder of his wife Lori Paynter.
Prosecutors say Daniel Paynter murdered his 35 year-old wife on Dec. 11, 2002. Lori was last alive Dec. 11 around 7:30 p.m. when she left a court reporting school in downtown Cincinnati. Her car was found parked on Court Street and her husband reported her missing the next day.
Lori’s body was found behind the Bluegrass Inn in Elizabethtown, Kentucky on Dec. 18, 2002. Her death was ruled a homicide as a result of asphyxiation and multiple gunshot wounds to the head.
There is no new evidence in the case, but Deters said Paynter's statement didn't match the facts of the case.
"He made an exculpatory statement that has him shooting her," said Deters. "If his story is true… there's an argument for self-defense."
Paynter, who was arrested last Thursday in Lexington, is charged with one count of aggravated murder, one count of murder, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of gross abuse of a corpse. If convicted of all charges, Paynter faces the possibility of life in prison.
"The only regret I have is that we couldn't seek the death penalty," explained Deters, "In Ohio, simple premeditated murder is not a death penalty case. You have to have aggravating circumstances and there is none."
Daniel was arrested on Dec. 14, 2002 for domestic violence based on a family member's statement that he threatened to kill his wife.
The Paynters had lived in Pendleton County.
On April 9, 2003, Lori Paynter's clothing and personal items were found in a wooded area on Kellogg Avenue in Cincinnati.
Investigators across state lines worked together to solve the murder.
Neighbors described Lori as very nice, sweet and someone who kept to herself.
Daniel was suspected in his wife's death given a $200,000 life insurance policy he had her and a history of threats against her reported by her family, according to the prosecutor's office.
“This was a case that we always thought could be solved. Our office, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Elizabethtown Police Department, the Cincinnati Police Department and the FBI never quit investigating. I am happy that hard work finally paid off and that we have the killer in custody. Lori’s family has never forgotten her and neither did law enforcement.”
Paynter will be arraigned in a Hamilton County courtroom Wednesday morning.
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