Without help from someone in the public, three violent offenders will walk out of prison in the next few weeks and they're probably headed home to Cincinnati.
Their crimes should scare you...murder...rape...and arson, but they're about to get out of prison. All three of the offenders have release dates-the earliest is April 1st-and if someone connected to the victims doesn't come forward to help the Hamilton County Prosecutors office, the inmates will walk.
Local 12 News Reporter Rich Jaffe says one of these guys was involved in a murder for hire...one shot and killed two men, also wounding a third person and the other guy viciously raped a woman then tried to kill her by setting her home on fire. According to the Adult Parole Authority, they've served enough time...they've earned the right to be back among us.
Perhaps the lesser of these evils is Ellis Banks and his 20 years to life sentence. In 1988, Banks arranged for a hit man named Johnny Curry to murder a woman's husband. Banks turned the job down himself, but was still convicted of aggravated murder. In 2002 he told state officials..."This is the first time I have ever been locked up in my entire life"...saying he's even been "ticket free for a long time."
Kendall Stanley is serving a sentenced of 15 years to life. Stanley and his brother broke into a home in 1976 then shot and killed Richard and Robert Allen, also shooting their father.
Finally there is Chester Barber. In 1987, Barber got 20 to 50 years in prison for violently raping a woman, then tying the front door of her home shut, and setting the back of the house on fire. Deemed a sexual predator, Barber was already paroled once,but failed to register as a sex offender.
According to the parole board, all three men will be released from prison in the next few weeks. The only chance to keep them in would be a last minute hearing in front of the full board, and the prosecutor's office needs help to do that. "We've already written to them, sent letters urging the parole authority not to release them unfortunately, these three are set for release as you know and so today our last plea is if anyone is a victim, is a friend of a victim to please notify us and we would try to do whatever we could to let the parole authority know this person is out here, wants to be heard and to ask them to reconsider."
Critics say the board is trying to sweep the prisons clean to cut costs...a charge the board chair denied in an interview last fall. "It's not like we have a quota or hey we have to parole x amount of people each month-it depends on the cases."
Kendall Stanley is up for parole first-he's scheduled for release April First. Number two on April 11th is Ellis Banks and barely a week later...on April 19, Chester Barber will walk out.
If you or someone you know is connected to any of the cases mentioned, contact the Hamilton County Prosecutors office. There's also a running list on the prosecutor's website and at Block Parole.com of people up for parole hearings. You can reach both websites by going to the "Get It" button of this website.
