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State opposes reconsideration of Rhoden autopsy ruling

Posted at 1:18 PM, Jan 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-04 13:18:39-05

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office says the state Supreme Court shouldn’t reconsider its decision rejecting requests for unredacted autopsy reports from the unsolved slayings of eight family members.

Attorneys for the office say arguments by two newspapers for a new ruling simply repackage previous arguments.

At issue is the Ohio Supreme Court decision last month that the Pike County coroner does not have to release the reports with complete information.

The case involves seven adults and a teenage boy from the Rhoden family who were found shot to death at four homes near Piketon in April 2016.

The Cincinnati Enquirer and the Columbus Dispatch have asked the court to reconsider, saying its ruling sets a precedent allowing investigators to shield records on “an impossibly vague standard.”