A 44-year-old Ashland man was sentenced to 26 to 31 years in prison in Richland County Common Pleas Court Monday morning for a crime the judge called "heinous" and which he committed and videotaped.
Robert Virgili earlier pleaded guilty as charged to a 10-count indictment, including pleading guilty in Richland County Common Pleas Court to attempted murder; two counts of kidnapping; four counts of felonious assault; two counts of intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness; and tampering with evidence. Many of the counts were merged during the hourlong sentencing Monday.
Richland County Common Pleas Court Judge Phil Naumoff said the charges will be served consecutively.
The charges relate to a May 2023 incident in Mansfield. First Assistant Prosecutor Teri Burnside said another man lured the victim to a garage, where Virgili was waiting.
"Mr. Virgili locked the door ... the purpose was to terrorize and inflict serious physical harm," she said. "Not only that, his intention was to kill (the victim) by means of various instruments, shall we say."
Those instruments included a crowbar, a heavy chain and nearly a chainsaw, which he was trying to start, according to video played in court. The victim was not present in the courtroom.
In Naumoff's courtroom, Virgili said he was sorry, but Richland County Prosecutor Jodie Schumacher said Virgili said he was "feigning remorse" and knows what to say in a courtroom after four past prison sentences and five pages of criminal charges, according to the presentence investigation.
Schumacher said Virgili might not have had the most idyllic childhood but she said he admitted on a recorded Richland County Jail taped phone call he did the beating to prove he was a "bad ass."
Naumoff ordered that Virgili, after serving his prison time, will need to register for 10 years as a violent offender. Naumoff said Virgili has three adult children, three minor children, is divorced and has about $53,000 in arrearages in child support as he read aloud his lengthy, criminal history including assaults, attempted corruption of a minor and aggravated trafficking in drug charges.
Naumoff told Virgili he watched the video and the only thing that would make it worse was if there was audio.
"I don't know what the victim suffered, but I could see. I don't know how he suffered, I couldn't hear the anguish in his voice," he said. "Based on the blood on yourself as well as him, the court will note it was not lack of effort on your part attempting to hurt that victim, possibly kill that victim, the crowbar, the chain, the rope or belts around his neck, tying him up. It was vicious Mr. Virgili, it was vicious, " he said.
Naumoff said it was a heinous crime that Virgili decided to take upon himself as a resolution to an unsubstantiated rumor.
"You became judge and jury on that matter," Naumoff said, adding if Virgili hadn't run out of energy Naumoff believes he would have killed the man.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Ashland man sentenced to 26-31 years in prison for 'heinous' beating he recorded on video
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