Attorneys deliver opening statements in torture case

Chad Henthorn's alleged role in a man's "vicious beating" is at the heart of his trial.

Henthorn, 49, faces nine counts, including attempted murder, two counts of kidnapping, four counts of felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence.

The Mansfield man is accused of being complicit in an incident at his garage in the 1200 block of Walker Street on May 30, 2023.

In a stuffy Richland County courtroom — air conditioning is down at the courthouse — attorneys delivered opening statements Wednesday morning before Common Pleas Judge Phil Naumoff .

Assistant Prosecutor Chris Brown said Henthorn was involved in the beating, even if he didn't take part in it.

"You will see evidence of our defendant closing a door and preventing the victim from leaving," Brown said, adding Henthorn destroyed the victim's cell phone.

Defense attorney Josh Brown pinned the incident on co-defendant Robert Virgili, who was sentenced late last month to 26 years in prison after previously pleading guilty to 10 counts, including attempted murder.

Virgili beat the victim with a crowbar and a heavy chain. He also tried to start a chainsaw.

The motive is unclear, but Chris Brown told jurors the state does not have to prove one. The victim suffered a ruptured spleen and a ruptured liver, along with extensive injuries to his skull and back.

"Our defendant tried to clean up the crime scene and destroy evidence at the crime scene," Brown said.

He said the victim was living in Mansfield but didn't have a permanent home and was trying to find work.

"He was led to believe someone was going to pick him up and give him some electrical work," the assistant prosecutor said.

Instead, Virgili delivered the beating, which was recorded by security cameras. Henthorn worked on cars and motorcycles and had expensive tools and parts in his garage.

Josh Brown told jurors about Henthorn's background. The defense attorney said Henthorn could score methamphetamine for people.

"We're not proud of that, but it's a fact," Brown said.

Because of the drugs, the defense attorney said a number of "unsavory characters" would show up at the garage.

"Three or four months before this incident, a guy by the name of Rob Virgili — keep that name in mind — started stopping by," Brown said.

On the day in question, the defense attorney said Virgili made contact with the victim through Facebook.

"Rob Virgili knew (his) predicament, that he'd been assaulted, that he'd been in and out of jail," Brown said.

He said Henthorn and another man were working in the garage when the two arrived.

"The next thing you know, Rob Virgili starts assaulting (victim)," Brown said.

He admitted his client didn't try to stop the assault or call police.

"I think you're going to find that everybody that hangs out at Chad's garage has some type of (arrest) warrant," Brown said.

He said Henthorn left the scene to get a friend of Virgili's to stop the beating.

"The video is over 10 minutes. It's vicious. It's brutal," Brown said. "Chad leaves after 24 seconds."

When he came back, Brown said Henthorn started cleaning up blood "in a panic."

"Nowhere do you see Chad Henthorn assault (victim)," Brown said. "Chad doesn't touch (him). He doesn't cause any harm."

The state's first witness was Jason McClung, who was wearing a jail jumpsuit. He is an inmate at the Knox County Jail, where he is being held on a charge of possession of methamphetamine.

McClung said he has known Henthorn for about five years and used to be friends with him. They sometimes used drugs together, and Henthorn stayed at McClung's mom's house for a bit.

Henthorn left when some items from the home turned up missing. McClung said cameras at Henthorn's garage were among the missing items.

A few days after the beating, McClung went to visit a friend, who allegedly held a gun to the back of his head, took his watch and his cellphone, and demanded that he delete images from the camera that recorded the incident.

"I'm thinking, 'What's going on?' At the time, I didn't know details of the incident," McClung testified.

He said Henthorn was on a different part of the property when he was being held at gunpoint but was later part of the conversation.

"I didn't finish deleting all the pictures because there were so many," McClung said, adding Virgili was not present.

McClung said he met Virgili a few years ago when they were inmates at Richland Correctional Institution.

"He's threatened to kill me. He's a violent individual," McClung said.

The witness said Virgili threatened him with a baseball bat and tried to run him off the road over $40 Virgili said he was owed.

Chris Brown asked McClung about his relationship with Henthorn.

"Chad has always been there for me," he said. "For me to have a gun to the back of my head, I knew it had to be something serious. Something was going down."

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

X: @MarkCau32059251

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Attorneys deliver opening statements in torture case