Father of teen craigslist suspect: Son unknowingly dug graves

AKRON, Ohio - A 52-year-old man and a teenage boy are in custody, accused of luring people with fake craigslist job postings.

On Tuesday, 16-year-old Brogan Rafferty will be in court. He likely will be transferred from a juvenile detention center in Zanesville to an adult facility. Rafferty, a student at Stow-Munroe Falls High School, was arrested in Summit County just two weeks ago.

Brogan’s father, Michael Rafferty, told ABC News that his son fell under the spell of 52-year-old Richard Beasley, who has mentored the teen for about a decade.

“To think that my son would be capable of masterminding some kind of crazy scheme like this, that’s beyond belief,” Michael Rafferty said.

He said Brogan told him he didn’t shoot anyone. Michael Rafferty also said his son did unknowingly dig some of the graves, thinking they were just drainage ditches. Police have discovered two bodies linked to this case buried in shallow graves; one in Noble County and the other in Akron. Another body was found on Friday in Noble County, but police have not said if that person is connected to this case.

“I think he probably didn’t realize what he was involved in until it was too late,” Michael Rafferty said. “And that he was in fear for his life and the lives of the people he loved.”

Michael Rafferty said he feels a tremendous amount of guilt because he introduced his son to Beasley. Earlier this year, Beasley was charged with selling Oxycontin, growing marijuana and promoting prostitution. So far, he has not been charged with any crimes directly related to the craigslist case.

“I trusted him with my son, the most precious thing in the world to me, and it sure bit me now,” Michael Rafferty said. Brogan Rafferty wrote a letter home, ABC News reported. It said he fears he won’t get out of prison until well after everyone he knows and loves has died.

On Monday, Brogan Rafferty’s mother, Yvette Rafferty, spoke to NewsChannel5 about her son, who she said had been getting the best grades of his life this year in school. Yvette Rafferty called her son a polite and respectful boy, who is now “praying for the victims’ families.”

In a letter from the detention center, Brogan wrote to his mother that “I’ve put it in God’s hands and I’m not worried.”

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ABC News and NewsChannel5 reporter Bob Jones also contributed to this report.