Letter to the Editor: Leon Baskin should not be granted parole for ’73 murder on Ohio State’s campus

Leo Morgan
Fri, 29 Dec 2023 17:42:43 +0000
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With two years passed since Ohio State student Chase Meola’s murder, the trial took a step forward towards a verdict. Credit: Barbara J. Perenic | Columbus Dispatch via TNS

Leo T. Morgan is a retired police lieutenant from the Ohio State Division of Police who now resides in Ostrander, Ohio.

A parole hearing is scheduled for a man named Leon Baskin in December 2023. Baskin is an inmate in the Ohio Department of Corrections, Allen Correctional Institute.?

On Nov. 28, 1973, Baskin, who was armed with a knife, entered Lincoln Tower on The Ohio State University campus. He randomly walked into the office of Ohio State employee and research assistant Beverly Lee and stabbed her seven times, leaving her to die in a pool of blood on the floor of her office.?

Lee was 32 years old and married at the time of her murder. She was stabbed in the neck, back, and chest, with fatal wounds to the heart.?

Baskin left Lincoln Tower undetected. He drove home, washed the knife, and returned it to his kitchen.?

A tip from Baskin’s girlfriend led to his arrest. He confessed to OSU Police that he had committed the murder.?

Baskin was found guilty of Lee’s murder in a court trial by Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge Craig Wright and was sentenced to life in prison.?

The consequences for this random act of violence should be life in prison with no chance for parole. Lee was not allowed to live her life because of Baskin’s actions.?

Baskin’s request for parole should be denied. Clearly, Baskin is a disturbed individual with no regard for human life and should not be released back into our society. He has never shown any remorse for killing Lee, and 49 years is not enough time served for the horrible crime he committed.?

Many years have passed since Baskin was convicted in 1974, and others may have forgotten what he did. I will never forget.

This letter has been edited for length and clarity.