A convicted murderer, who was originally sentenced to life in prison, was released to kill again and a lot of people want to know why. An all-out manhunt for the suspect in a violent crime spree that included murder, kidnapping, and carjacking came to a violent end and some people are wondering if it could have been handled a different way.
It all started last week when Ironton, Ohio police responded to a shots fired call and found a woman tied up and her 78-year-old stepfather dead.
Officers identified the suspect as David Maynard and began a multi-state manhunt for the man on charges of kidnapping, tampering with evidence, vehicle theft, and weapons charges.
The three-day manhunt, during which Maynard abducted two separate women who later escaped, and stole two cars, came to a violent end at a Ceredo, West Virginia Speedway. An officer recognized Maynard standing behind the counter at a gas station.
Maynard drew his gun and took hostages. Police negotiators talked Maynard into releasing two hostages but things took a turn for the worse when Maynard began shooting at officers. Police returned fire and Maynard died from his injuries.
However, some questioned if things could have been done differently. One Facebook commenter claimed Maynard had begged for help, “There was so many things that could have been done differently. South Point had him 3 days prior and turned their backs on him when he begged for help. So something needs done with the way things get handled around this area.”
Maynard was a convicted murderer who was released on parole back in 2019 for charges of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery, and possession of a deadly weapon. Though originally sentenced to life in 1989, he was paroled in November of 2019. A search of his Disciplinary Violations revealed that he was caught with a weapon while imprisoned. In spite of this, he was granted parole as if he were a model inmate.