Plea Deal Allows Killer To Dodge Murder Charge

Friday, November 18, 2011 at 6:29 AM

Ralph Antoni

(Cincinnati, Oh.) – A man accused of killing an Ohio County native and dumping his body in a creek has reached a plea deal.

The decomposed body of 22-year-old Timothy Thompson was found in a creek at Campshore Campground in March.

Ralph Antoni, 35, was arrested in May and charged with Murder and Gross Abuse of a Corpse in Hamilton County, Ohio.

On Thursday, Antoni reached a deal with prosecutors which will convict him of a lesser charge of Voluntary Manslaughter while the murder and corpse charges are dropped. He will be sentenced to up to 17-and-a-half years in prison December 6.

Investigators said Antoni was drinking at Thompson’s home on Lawrenceburg Road in Whitewater Township on November 4, 2010. An argument began and ended when Antoni shot Thompson in the face.

Antoni then put a bag over Thompson’s head and placed his body in the trunk of his car. He drove to the wooded campground and dumped the body in a creekbed there.

Thompson’s body would not be found until a resident of the campground discovered it four months later.

Thompson had family in Dearborn and Ohio counties.

LINKS:

Arrest Made In Connection With Ohio Co. Body

Creek Body Is Missing Ohio Man Body Found Near Ohio River