Stow man says teen Craigslist suspect wasn't mastermind of murder plot

AKRON, Ohio - The father of the 16-year-old boy charged in connection with the so-called Craigslist killings says his son was misled by a man he trusted.

Brogan Rafferty, 16, of Stow, was arrested on Nov. 16 and charged with aggravated murder, attempted murder, complicity to commit aggravated murder and complicity to commit attempted murder.

According to the criminal complaint filed in Noble County court, the teen was involved in the shooting of one man and the death of another. Police also arrested 52-year-old Richard Beasley in connection with the case, but he is being held on prostitution charges unrelated to this case. Authorities believe that a fake Craigslist ad for a job was created to lure people to a remote part of Ohio.

Rafferty’s father, Michael Rafferty, told ABC News that his son must have been in fear for his life when he was sucked into the plot by a trusted mentor.

“I think my son was misled. I think that he didn’t know what he was getting into,” Michael Rafferty said. “He was misled by someone he extremely trusted. And somebody that was supposed to be a mentor for him. And I think probably, at the very end, he had an idea and was threatened.”

On Tuesday, Brogan Rafferty was granted a continuance in the probable cause hearing to determine whether he will be tried as an adult.  Michael Rafferty shared with NewsChannel5 a letter his son wrote while at a juvenile detention center. The note is dated Nov. 19.

“Dear Dad, I haven’t gotten the chance to write until now. I’m sorry I put you in this position, and I hope you can forgive me for it. I hope all is well with you and the animals and Brenda.

From what I hear, it’s not looking good for me. They’re more concerned with hanging me than helping me.”

When asked about Beasley, Michael Rafferty said he helped people get free food from the church, but he wasn’t involved in anything horrible.

“He’s charismatic, he’s a nice guy. He’s done a lot of good. He’s helped a lot of people, you know, through religion and, you know, helping them in court and stuff like that. But obviously, he has a dark side. He’s a little bit of a scam artist. He tries to stretch things a little bit further than he can, as far the legal end of it. But nothing, nothing dangerous.”

“He (Beasley) always had a little bit of an angle on top of the good that he was doing to make things easier for himself too… But it seemed harmless,” Michael Rafferty said “And I’ve talked to a lot of people since this thing started because I’ve got so much self-doubt in the fact that I felt that through my stupidity lead my son into this mess. And I still feel a lot of guilty about it.”

Court documents said Brogan Rafferty and Beasley met with David Pauley on or about Oct. 23, where Pauley was shot in the head and killed. Beasley was charged in the past with drug-related charges and has claimed that he is heavily involved in several churches. Michael Rafferty even mentioned that Beasley was a preacher, though many churches have denied being associated with him.

“You know, he had not only me fooled, but the Summit County court system fooled. The chapel, the church that they were involved in fooled. All my friends and associates that knew him well fooled. And nobody saw this in him.”

While Michael Rafferty never denied his son’s involvement in this case, which is attracting national attention, he doesn’t think his son knew what was going on.

“To think that my son would be capable of masterminding some kind of crazy scheme like this is beyond belief there. This 52-year-old man is the one that corrupted the 16-year-old child,” Michael Rafferty said.

“Is he (Brogan Rafferty) the smartest guy that ever put on a pair of tennis shoes? No. He’s gullible… I’ve tried to do the brainwork of the outfit between the two of us, and, you know, he’s done OK in school, but he’s never really tried to push himself,” Michael Rafferty said. “Actually, this year he was really doing good. He’s a good kid. And it just breaks my heart to see this because I just love him to death… I just know in my heart that he’s not capable of anything like this."