[OH] Ex-Police Officer Stroud sentenced to 16 years to life for murder of his wife Diane

Gary Stroud, a former Lake County Ohio deputy sheriff and Mentor police officer has been sentenced to 16-years-to-life in prison for murdering his wife Diane and hiding her body in the garage. Stroud told neighbors and their daughters that Diane had run away and joined a cult.

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[OH] Retired police officer arrested for the murder of his wife, Diane Stroud - “She was a good mother, good member of council and a good person." Diane Stroud, who hadn't been seen for weeks, has been found dead. Her husband, retired Mentor police officer and former Lake County sheriff's deputy Gary Stroud, is charged with murder, abuse of a corpse, failure to report a death and tampering with evidence. Please pray for their family... Gary Stroud told neighbors and their daughters that Diane had run away and joined a cult.

FORMER MENTOR COP SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR KILLING WIFE
The Plain Dealer
By Michael Sangiacomo
Published: Thursday, August 09, 2012
PAINESVILLE, Oh -- A former Mentor police officer and Lake County sheriff's deputy was sentenced Wednesday to 16-years-to-life in prison for murdering his wife and hiding her body in the garage of their Mentor-on-the-Lake home. Lake County Common Pleas Judge Joe Gibson sentenced Gary Stroud to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years on the murder charge and an additional year in prison for hiding the body of Diane Stroud in a sleeping bag in the garage. Stroud, 58, pleaded guilty to the charges last month. Lake County Prosecutor Charles Coulson said Stroud never really explained what happened. "He made a number of statements to the court, but they were inconsistent with the evidence that police found," he said. "We don't know how or why he did it, except that he hit her 12 times in the head with a hammer and hid the body"... They had to use a Taser to subdue Stroud at the house because he refused to follow police officer's orders to stand aside and let them search the garage. It's believed she was killed sometime after Oct. 9, 2011. Stroud was hired as an auxiliary police officer in Mentor in 1977 and became a full-time officer in 1979. He worked there until his retirement in 2005. In 2006, he began working part time in the Lake County Sheriff's Office, where he assisted in prisoner transportation and courtroom security. He was laid off in September, 2011... [LINK]

GARY STROUD SENTENCED 16 YEARS TO LIFE FOR MURDERING WIFE (WITH VIDEO)
News-Herald staff
Editor@News-Herald.com
Published: Wednesday, August 08, 2012
[Excerpts] Gary Stroud’s son sobbed as he asked his father why his mother had to die. “You were always a good dad. Mom was a good mom. I miss you both very much. I don’t understand. Why?” Greg Stroud asked Wednesday in Lake County Common Pleas Court. Gary Stroud, 58, of Mentor-on-the-Lake, then was sentenced to serve life in prison for the murder of 53-year-old Diane Stroud... He is eligible for parole in 15 years, but must serve at least 16 years since Judge Joe Gibson gave him an additional year for the lesser charge... Gary said he still loves his wife and was recovering from a head injury because of a stroke when he killed her. “We had more good times than bad times,” he said. “I still feel Diane’s spirit with me. Diane’s death was not planned or wanted.” Gary apologized to the Sheriff’s Office for the embarrassment he caused the department and urged his son and daughter, Stephanie, to remember the good times. [LINK]
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