Man indicted in woman’s death

Accused of killing his live-in girlfriend in July, Noal D. Quattlebaum is left facing the possibility of life without parole after a grand jury returned indictments Tuesday.

Prosecutors say Quattlebaum, 22, strangled, bound and wrapped 21-year-old Amber Wesley's body in a blanket and left her at their Lang Farm Road residence on July 22.

Quattlebaum was one of 26 individuals indicted by a Washington County grand jury Tuesday, among them a man accused of stabbing a New Matamoras woman earlier the same day that Quattlebaum allegedly killed Wesley.

Wesley left behind two children, ages 2 years and 7 months.

Police said her possible involvement with another man and questions over the paternity of her youngest child might have contributed to her murder.

"They had a history of arguments ending in violent behavior," said Washington County Prosecutor Jim Schneider. "This ended up in very serious violent behavior."

Schneider declined to release more details about what may have led to Wesley's death.

Quattlebaum was charged with murder and aggravated murder. He can only be sentenced on one of the charges if convicted. Schneider said the distinction between the charges is whether or not the act was premeditated.

"The only difference is the element of prior calculation and design in an aggravated murder charge," Schneider said.

The difference in sentencing could be significant though. If convicted of the murder charge, Quattlebaum could be eligible for parole after 15 years. Aggravated murder could mean life without parole, Schneider said.

"That will be determined by the judge," Schneider said.

Schneider said the death penalty was not an option in the case.

"There would have to be other factors found to make this a capital offense, such as the victim being under (age) 13 or if the crime was for a sexual motivation, and that wasn't the case," Schneider said.

Quattlebaum remains in the Washington County Jail on $250,000 bond. His arraignment has not been scheduled.

In another indictment, Thaddeus J. Salomon, 19, of 61076 State Route 7, New Matamoras, is left facing between 10 and 18 years in prison. He is accused of stabbing 23-year-old Susan I. Lawson in the back, puncturing her lung, after he was asked to leave her residence, where he had been staying.

Assistant Washington County Prosecutor Kevin Rings said Lawson is still recovering from the attack but she was able to testify before the grand jury last week.

Salomon was charged with first-degree felony attempted aggravated murder, first-degree felony attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault.

Rings said Salomon can only be sentenced on one or two of the charges.

In addition to Noal D. Quattlebaum and Thaddeus J. Salomon, the following people were indicted by the Washington County grand jury:

Misty Gossett, 36, of McConnelsville, was charged with fifth-degree felony theft from an elderly person. Gossett is accused of taking money from a Waterford Township resident on June 23.

David Hughes Jr., 28, of 31 Garden City Road, Marietta, was charged with fifth-degree felony theft. Hughes is accused of stealing copper and other scrap from a Masonic Park Road residence.

Gary Mitchell, 38, of 16131 State Route 821, Macksburg, was charged with misdemeanor counts of aggravated menacing and intimidation of a witness, third-degree felony intimidation of a witness and fifth-degree felony vandalism. Mitchell is accused of damaging a vehicle on June 18 and later threatening the victim not to press charges.

Timothy Ryan, 18, of 115 Byers Road, Marietta, was charged with third-degree felony retaliation. Ryan is accused of assault against an individual July 13 at 813 Quarry St., Marietta.

Polly Oblisk, 54, of 803 Fifth St., Apt. D, Marietta, was charged with fifth-degree felony trafficking in marijuana. Oblisk is accused of preparing marijuana for delivery or shipment on April 22.

Chad Schwendeman, 26, of 427 Strecker Lane, Marietta, was charged with fifth-degree felony trafficking in drugs. Schwendeman is accused of selling 15 prescription pills on April 6.

Charles Church, 21, of 1918 Two Mile Run Road, Cutler, was charged with third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of an officer, third-degree felony aggravated vehicular assault, fourth-degree felony vehicular assault and misdemeanor driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Church is accused of fleeing from police July 19 and causing a crash that resulted in a passenger being injured.

Tara Burgett, 22, of Athens, was charged with fifth-degree felony passing bad checks. Burgett is accused of passing two bad checks at Washington County businesses in May.

Cynthia Dailey, 34, of 1125 Greene St., Marietta, was charged with fifth-degree complicity in theft. Dailey is accused in assisting in the theft of $640 in jewelry from Gold Line Jewelers, Front Street, Marietta.

Tommy Young, 41, of Ovapa, W.Va., was charged with fifth-degree felony illegal processing of drug documents. Young is accused of attempting to pass a forged prescription Feb. 11 at a Marietta business.

Beatrice Richards, 51, stated homeless, was charged with fifth-degree felony theft and fifth-degree felony forgery. Richards is accused of stealing checks and illegally signing up for utility service.

Nathan Goddard, 20, of 708 Seventh St., Marietta, was charged with third-degree felony burglary and third-degree felony grand theft. Goddard is accused of stealing guns from a Muskingum Township residence on April 21.

Tina Rizhaupt, 31, of 209 Elm St., Belpre, was charged with third-degree felony failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer. Rizhaupt is accused of leading Marietta police in a high-speed pursuit on Aug. 7.

Ella M. Hartley, 47, of 602 W. Fourth St., Williamstown, was charged with third-degree felony trafficking in drugs, third-degree felony complicity in trafficking in drugs and second-degree felony corruption of another with drugs. Hartley is accused of setting up a drug sale and asking her 17-year-old son to complete the deal.

Nelson D. Lewis, 40, of 108 Berry Lane, Marietta, was charged with third-degree felony burglary and fifth-degree felony theft. Lewis is accused of stealing a 42-inch TV from a Muskingum Drive residence.

April Boggs, 30, of Longbottom, was charged with two counts of fifth-degree felony passing bad checks. Boggs is accused of passing two bad checks last December at Hocking Tire in Little Hocking.

Richard Flood, 42, of Parkersburg, was charged with fourth-degree felony domestic violence. Flood is accused of assaulting a household or family member July 17 in Marietta.

Marty L. Bass, 29, of 702 Franklin Ave., Belpre, was charged with second-degree felony possession of drugs, third-degree felony possession of drugs, fifth-degree felony possession of drugs and third-degree felony escape. Bass is accused of being in possession of drugs during a March 24 traffic stop. Police said Bass attempted to escape arrest by fleeing on foot.

Lionel Gore, 21, of 120 Cemetery Drive, New Matamoras, was charged with fourth-degree felony assault of a police officer and misdemeanor resisting arrest. Gore is accused of assaulting a deputy July 4 in New Matamoras.

Lanae Neuenchwander, 40, of 1715 23rd St., Parkersburg, was charged with fifth-degree felony forgery. Neuenchwander is accused of stealing $1,500 from a former business partner.

Mitchell Needs, 18, last known address 121 Muskingum Drive, Marietta, was charged with third-degree felony unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, third-degree felony escape and third-degree felony tampering with evidence. Needs is accused of engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old and then breaking detention during an Aug. 18 encounter with police.

Richard G. Newman II, 42, of Pennock Trailer Court Lot 21, Beverly, was charged with two counts of fifth-degree felony breaking and entering, fifth-degree felony theft and misdemeanor counts of theft. Newman is accused of stealing a TV and cookware from the Showboat Becky Thatcher.

Nathan Zinser, of 525 Eighth St., Marietta, was charged with first-degree felony rape. Zinser is accused of engaging in sex with a family member who was under the influence of a prescribed medication.

Member Comments

View Comments: | 1-19 | Post a comment

JASONS
09-07-08 12:34 AM »Report Abuse	quattelbaum a violent coward
ChuckBob
09-04-08 8:41 AM »Report Abuse	Very unlikely Mr. Q would receive a death sentence anywhere in this country, maybe Texas, for this crime. No evidence of premeditation or aggravating circumstances have, as of now, been mentioned. Murder yes, but probably 30 to life. Too much emotional posting, too much chatting, too little substance. This is going the way of the last comment opportunity, too personal.
teaglass97
09-03-08 6:39 PM »Report Abuse	Murder is Murder. Doesn't matter if I shoot you or trip you with yo-yo. The Death Penalty is the biggest crock of crap there is. Everyone is like omg, they murdered someone, he's so bad, he should die but yet your doing the same thing to him when he gets strapped into a chair. Talk about hipocrisy.
peppie
09-03-08 5:57 PM »Report Abuse	Well gee, Harleyrider, you are just one big walking encyclopedia. As for the Muslim remark, you would make a good one yourself, you seem to be familiar with it. Enough said. Have a good evening.
Harleyrider
09-03-08 4:42 PM »Report Abuse	And peppie, you are about as wrong as you can be. I believe in justice, not lynching. Has the man been tried and convicted? And what crime would you convict this man of? Do you know what the law says? I am all for justice, and justice follows the best system that the world has seen.
Harleyrider
09-03-08 4:40 PM »Report Abuse	I am guessing you have never read the Constitution then or you would never make a statement like that. You are dealing with feelings and it is never a wise move for justice to let the wronged dole out the justice. If that is what you are looking for, I would suggest becoming Muslim as they deal in absolutes.
peppie
09-03-08 4:28 PM »Report Abuse	This has nothing to do with the constitution, it has to do with justice being done for the innocent. Walk a mile in my shoes right now and see how you would feel. A proven murderer is out on bail while the justice system decides when he will go to trial. Harleyrider, I hope you never go through any thing like this, but you would probably sing a different tune if you were there holding a loved ones hands as they passed on.
Harleyrider
09-03-08 4:22 PM »Report Abuse	peppie, all I can say is thank God for the Constitution. It is a tragedy, but you have no intent. You do realize that the Constitution spells out such things as bail don't you? Are you advocating getting rid of it?
peppie
09-03-08 3:40 PM »Report Abuse	Harleyrider, I respect what you are saying, but why should the man who murdered my daughter two weeks ago, be out on bail? There were witnesses and signed statements. No reason to let this go on. Try the murderers and if found guilty, execute immediately. Don't let him walk the streets because he could come up with bail. What was my daughter doing when she got shot? In her kitchen fixing supper. The bullet went through her trailer wall and she paid the penalty for a fight the man started with another person. This did not happen in Ohio, but there is proof and witnesses he started the argument and he fired the gun. Immediate death penalty to him and his kind.
Harleyrider
09-03-08 3:13 PM »Report Abuse	2224441, I suggest you go look up the figures. Life in prison will always be cheaper than the death penalty.
Cats08
09-03-08 2:45 PM »Report Abuse	I think you all get too personal on here.
Menglish
09-03-08 2:38 PM »Report Abuse	I agree with PEPPIE. He committed murder. He doesn't deserve 3 squares a day and a comfy place to lay his head each night on OUR tax dollars!! If our judicial system actually PUNISHED people for the crimes they commit, we wouldn't have so many repeat offenders. The "history of arguements ending in violent behavior" is a pretty way of saying that they were a couple accustomed to beating up on each other. Check that, it's my understanding that he used to beat her up on a regular basis. So he's a woman beater and a murderer. Just the kind of person I want to pay to take care of.
Cats08
09-03-08 2:31 PM »Report Abuse	The bottom line is that you don't get to make the decision. Both life or death sentences are costly. If people would obey the law we would be a richer country but they don't and were not.
Harleyrider
09-03-08 2:11 PM »Report Abuse	peppie, you are just plane wrong on this. Do you have any idea the costs to build and maintain a death row? Then you have the costs of the endless appeals. If you will look this stuff up, you will find that I am right. And contrary to popular belief, murder is not murder. Let's say you hit someone with a car while drunk, that is horrible, but it is not the same as if you hit someone because you ran a red light, and that is different from killing someone with your car because your brakes failed. There is a difference.
peppie
09-03-08 1:52 PM »Report Abuse	Happy girl, I respect you opinion about prison, but I resent my tax dollars paying for their prison term. Harleyrider, planned or not, murder is murder. But giving the death sentence to a murderer would also save money in the long run. Come on, some of these criminals live many years in prison, using tax dollars.
happygirl
09-03-08 1:43 PM »Report Abuse	Planned or not planned murder to me is just that - murder. I'm unsure about the death penalty. Sometimes I think life in prison is more of a punishment.
Harleyrider
09-03-08 12:26 PM »Report Abuse	peppie, it costs more to put someone to death than it does keep them in prison for life. I will be suprised if Quattlebaum gets life. The sentence would not be consistant with the act. It was a heat of the moment thing, not something that was planned.
peppie
09-03-08 10:28 AM »Report Abuse	That man has no right to be out in public. When he took a life like he did, is a good reason to have him off the streets and away from the public. There are so many lifers in prison, that instead of paying tax dollars to keep them, put more of the lifers out of their misery. Punishment for a crime should be that whatever the convicted did to their victum, should also be done to the convicted.
Cats08
09-03-08 9:33 AM »Report Abuse	Wow what is wrong with people. I see Chad Schwendeman is following in his sister's foot steps. But where is her name on this list? It was on the news that she got caught calling in her own scripts, is she working with the police again?

You must first login before you can comment.

Existing Member Login
Not a Member?	Create a Member Account
*Your email address:		<--Email REQUIRED!
*Password:	Forgot Password?	<--Password REQUIRED!
	Remember my email address.