Former Morgue Worker Guilty Of Abusing Corpse

Reported by: Richard Chiles
Photographer: Dave Marlo
Web produced by: Megan Wasmund

A former Hamilton county morgue worker accused with having sexual activity with a corpse has entered a plea for the gross abuse of a corpse.

Kenneth Douglas signed a no contest plea to gross abuse of a corpse for the 1982 violation of the body of murder victim, Karen Raines.

As part of a plea agreement, Kenneth Douglas waived his right to a jury trial. Douglas will go to jail for a crime prosecutors say should cost him his life.

Hamilton County Judge William Mallory accepted the no contest plea to the 4th degree felony.

Prosecutors say Douglas had sexual intercourse with the corpse while he was an attendant at the Hamilton County Morgue.

Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Mark Piepmeier, said "The guy ought to be tortured and put to death for something like this. It's such a horrible crime. Usually abuse of a corpse isn't like this, but this is something, this horrific."

Douglas was employed at the morgue from 1976 to 1991. Prosecutors say Douglas acknowledged conducting this activity with at least 3 to 4 other bodies.

Piepmeier said, "We've got a guy thats been on death row for 26 years. The family has already been living with that, and now its been brought into question in the case of David Steffen."

Douglas will be sentenced on September 30. He faces 18 months in prison.

Prosecutors say his activity could have jeopardized other cases including the capital case of Karen Raines murder.