Gill, who pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in the fatal stabbing, faced the death penalty but was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 20 years. He was up for parole again in October.
It was Gill’s third chance for release, but denials came in 2004, 2013 and this year. Gill’s next parole hearing was set for October 2027, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
In denying the motion, the board determined that, while in prison, Gill’s conduct has been acceptable for many years. It was noted that he has developed a realistic reentry plan.
“(But) there is strong community opposition presented in this case. After weighing all relevant factors the Central Office Board Review has determined that release at this time will not further the interest of justice given the serious nature of the offense,” according to ODRC.
According to court records, on March 24, 1984, Kerri and other children in the Sharon Park neighborhood were playing “pretend school,” with Kerri serving as the principal.
Gill was seen whispering to Kerri, and a short time later he entered his garage, followed by the girl. Gill emerged from the garage, and Kerri had disappeared.
It was Gill who suggested search parties, and he was with one of the groups searching when Kerri’s body was found stuffed in a workbench in Gill’s garage. Her body was lying on a piece of carpeting concealed by a plastic pipe and a concrete block, according to court documents.
The girl suffered three stab wounds, including one to the heart, and her throat had been cut.
In June 1984, Gill pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and told a three-judge panel that the stabbing in the chest was an accident. He said the other wounds were made in a panic.
“Gill noticed what he did, laid Kerri on a rug, and then in what he described as a sudden release of a combination of panic, fear and anger, cut Kerri’s throat and stabbed her in the stomach,” then-Butler County Common Pleas Judge John Moser wrote in opinion.
In Gill’s statement, he said he touched the girl’s vaginal area.
The three-judge panel gave Gill the minimum sentence. In the opinion, Moser noted Gill’s guilty plea, his lack of any previous criminal history, that he suffered from some personality disorders and his service to the community and church before the killing.
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