NEWS

Sheriff's office quiet during homicide investigation

Nick Bechtel
nbechtel@marionstar.com

MARYSVILLE –

Joseph R. Magana

Union County officials are staying silent about an ongoing homicide investigation.

Union County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Tom Morgan was only able to provide a few details as detectives continue to look into the death of 67-year-old Arthur Burchett, who was found with a fatal gunshot wound to his head last week in his Richwood-area home.

"It's still a very active case," Morgan said.

The sheriff's office has since arrested two suspects on charges of aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery: Joseph Magana, 29, of Mount Victory, and Amber N. Parish, 27, of Ostrander.

Morgan said a complete report of the case "will take a number of weeks" before it is finalized. He said the agencies are waiting on a DNA analysis from multiple artifacts collected, including firearms and a Honda Civic believed to have been used in the robbery.

Amber N. Parish

"That's really crucial to the rest of the investigation," he said.

Morgan did release the 911 recording notifying his office of the shooting, which was made around 7:45 p.m. Feb. 18. A male caller, who Morgan said is not considered a suspect in the case, said Burchett was responsive when he was found in his home.

"His door was open, and I saw him on the ground," the caller told the emergency dispatcher.

"He couldn't tell me what happened. His head was bleeding."

The caller told the dispatcher he was "a friend of a friend" and said he was checking on Burchett "because it was so cold."

Emergency units responded to Burchett's home at 10500 Askins Road in Richwood. He was transported to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where he was pronounced dead about two hours after he was found. Sheriff Jamie Patton was quick to call the case "an apparent murder."

On Feb. 19, detectives arrested Magana and Parish in connection with the homicide. Detectives located a .22-caliber rifle suspected of killing Burchett in an investigation that spanned from the northern edge of Union County to Columbus. Both are held at Tri-County Regional Jail on a $1 million bond.

Patton said additional charges from the Union County Prosecutor's Office are expected once the case is finalized. Several outside agencies, including the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Multi Agency Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Marysville Division of Police and the Columbus Police Department, are assisting in the case.

According to their Facebook pages, Magana and Parish are in a relationship. Patton said Burchett was an acquaintance to both suspects.

Union County records reveal Magana has a history of criminal activity. According to the county's Court of Common Pleas website, an 18-year-old Magana served more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to an aggravated robbery charge in 2004. He served 11 more months in prison in 2010 after admitting to four counts of trafficking heroin.

nbechtel@marionstar.com

740-375-5155

Twitter: @NickMStar