A 23-year-old Ohio resident is heading to prison after luring his 74-year-old former lover into the woods and shooting him in the back of the head.
Viktor Marie Vendler, who now identifies as male but was female at the time of the crime, received a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 21 years for the murder of Leroy Johnston, according to court records. Vendler pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and gross abuse of a corpse. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of murder during kidnapping, tampering with evidence, and kidnapping.
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Johnston’s body was discovered by hikers on Sept. 30, 2023, at Mill Stream Run Reservation in Strongsville, a suburb of Cleveland. Their dog had run off-trail into the woods, where they stumbled upon the remains, the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office said. Authorities arrested Vendler roughly eight months later.
Prosecutors said Vendler and Johnston had previously been romantically involved. On Sept. 24, 2023, Vendler invited Johnston for a hike, promising a “surprise.” Vendler later admitted to detectives that he intentionally left his cellphone behind to avoid being tracked.
“It sounds so bad but I told him I had a surprise for him and that was the surprise,” Vendler told detectives.
Once they reached a secluded, wooded area of the park, Vendler shot Johnston in the head. Authorities have not disclosed a motive for the killing.
Before sentencing, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge William F.B. Vodrey expressed his shock over the brutal nature of the crime and Johnston’s apparent kindness.
“Especially under these circumstances is a particularly heinous and shocking crime,” Judge Vodrey said, according to WOIO. “I’m deeply disturbed what I’ve learned about this case and a life ended unnecessarily, cruelly.”
