A Scioto County grand jury indicted Robin R. Riggs, 18, of 38 Valley St., in the death of Ronald Cox, in his residence at 631 Little Egypt Road, Lucasville, on Sept. 14.
In a six-count indictment, the grand jury charged Riggs with three counts of aggravated murder, one count of aggravated robbery, one count of aggravated burglary and one count of tampering with evidence.
Scioto County Sheriff Marty Donini said Riggs was arrested at her home shortly after midnight on Sept. 16. At that time, He said robbery was a motive for the killing, and there was no forced entry.
In the words of the indictment:
“Robin R. Riggs did purposely cause the death of another, Ronald Cox, while she was committing or attempting to commit, or while fleeing immediately after committing or attempting to commit the offense of aggravated burglary ...”
In the original report by the sheriff's office, Donini described the murder scene as one in which Cox was “beaten severely about the head and face.” He had said an altercation at the residence resulted in Riggs beating Cox with a Maglite flashlight.
“The reason there are three counts of aggravated murder in one death is that a charge of aggravated murder is added to each of the charges of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, and a third that just reads, ‘purposely caused the death of another with prior calculation and design,'” said Scioto County Prosecutor Mark Kuhn.
Another segment of the indictment carried the following phrase:
“Robin R. Riggs did by force, stealth or deception, trespass in an occupied structure that is a permanent or temporary habitation of a person (Ronald Cox), when a person other than an accomplice of the offender was present or likely to be present, with purpose to commit in the habitation a criminal offense ...”
The mention of an accomplice also follows a report by the sheriff's office, in which a second person was arrested in that murder case.
Scott Groves, 40, of 1718 Poplar St., Portsmouth, also was charged with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence.
“He is still being held in the Scioto County jail on a bindover from Portsmouth Municipal Court,” Kuhn said. “There should be some charges forthcoming on him, but he has not been indicted yet. He does, however, still face those original charges.”
Kuhn said Riggs remains lodged in the Scioto County jail on $220,000 bond from municipal court and will be scheduled for arraignment in Scioto County Common Pleas Court.
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