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The Plain Dealer
Key Dates In Spirko Case Sunday, October 30, 2005 1982 Aug. 9: Postmaster Betty Jane Mottinger, 48, is abducted in Elgin, Ohio . Sept. 18: Her decomposed body, stabbed repeatedly and wrapped in a painter's dropcloth, is found in soybean field near Findlay. Oct. 31: John Spirko contacts authorities, offering information. He gives more than a dozen jailhouse interviews over next 10 weeks. 1983 Sept 13: Spirko and friend Delaney Gibson are indicted in Mottinger's murder. 1984 August: Spirko is tried, convicted and sentenced to death. 1997 May: Spirko attorneys obtain undisclosed evidence questioning case. August: Onetime house painter claims former boss is involved in Mottinger murder; authorities never follow up. 2005 March: U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Spirko case, capping 15 years of fruitless appeals. Oct. 19: By 6-3 vote, Ohio Parole Board recommends against clemency. Nov. 15: Spirko is scheduled to die.
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