The Liske Family Massacre

Susan M. Liske was born on January 30, 1964 to Benny and Edna Morse.  Susan had five brothers: Alan, Bob, Charlie, Mike, and Gus.  She graduated from Oak Harbor High School in Ohio in 1982 then went on to get an Associate’s Degree from Terra Community College.  Susan married Gary Griffin and the couple had two sons, Derek and Devon.  Susan and Gary eventually divorced and in 2001, Susan married William Liske Jr.  

Susan was an office manager for Northwest Ohio Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee.  Prior to that, she worked for Waste Management, Bergman Paving, and Superior Push Rod.  Susan was a member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oak Harbor.  She enjoyed hunting, camping, and gardening.  She was described as having a big heart, and being a loving mother, aunt, and friend.

William E. Liske Jr., who went by Bill or Billy, was born on May 11, 1957 in Toledo, Ohio to Willam Sr. and Shirley Liske.  He had five sisters: Penny, Tammy, Lisa, Dolly, and Sue.  Bill was a United States Air Force Veteran and worked as a front loader for Waste Management.  Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and being outdoors.  Bill had a son William J. Liske, who went by BJ, from a previous marriage, and two step-sons, Derek and Devon.  He had several nieces and nephews and was described as being a loving father and husband. 

Derek L. Griffin was born on July 30, 1987 to Gary Griffin and Susan Liske.  Derek attended Oak Harbor High School where he ran track and set the school record for the 4×2 relay in 2005, the same year he graduated.  Derek was a second degree black belt in Tae Kwondo and fought in Italy for the U.S. team.  Derek was also a member of St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church.  His favorite pastime was spending time on Lake Erie in his sailboat or on his dad’s inflatable dinghy.  Derek loved to sneak away in the early morning hours while the water was calm.  Derek had a brother named Devon, a stepbrother, BJ, and two stepsisters named Christy and Courtney. 

The Liskes were well-known in their community and everyone said that they were a nice family.  The family lived just outside of Oak Harbor, Ohio in a farmhouse on 99 acres.  There was a 1.5 acre pond on the property, a large pole barn, and a few hunting blinds.   

On Saturday, October 30th, 2010, Bill and his 24-year-old son, BJ, spent the day hunting together near the family cabin in Carroll County, about two hours from their home.  When they returned home, Bill called his neighbor, Mark Gradel, to invite him over to celebrate because he had gotten a deer that day.  Mark came over and the three men spent the evening in the pole shed drinking beers and having a good time.  The party broke up around midnight and Mark went home. 

Derek was home that night, but Devon was spending the weekend with his dad.  The next day, Halloween, Devon left his father’s house around 10:00 am to run home to change into his choir clothes for a concert at the church.  He ran in, changed, then went to the concert.  He returned home at about 11:15 and went straight to his room to play video games.  At around one o’clock that afternoon, Devon’s Aunt Laurie called him.  She had been trying to reach Derek and Susan all morning and wasn’t able to get in touch.  Derek was supposed to help his uncle with some work that day, but never showed up.  Which wasn’t like Derek – he often helped his uncle.  

Devon realized then that the house was pretty quiet, so he turned off his video game and went to find his mom and step-dad.  He told Homicide For the Holidays, an Oxygen true crime series, that he went into their room and found them in bed asleep.  Devon recalled that it was weird seeing them in bed at 1:30 in the afternoon because they were both early birds.  He tried to wake up his mom, but she wasn’t moving.  He said that her eyes were black and blue and she was stiff as a board.  When he pulled the covers back, he saw so much blood around his parents.  The thought that it was an elaborate Halloween prank was there, but it was fleeting.  It was his brain’s last ditch effort to convince himself that this wasn’t real. 

Devon immediately called his Aunt Laurie back and told her what had happened.  Laurie called 911 and made her way over to the Liske home.  When police arrived at the Liske property, they immediately made their way to the first-floor bedroom that Bill and Susan shared.  There was blood spatter covering the walls and they could see injuries to Bill’s head immediately and saw that he had been shot 4-5 times.  Susan was facedown with her legs hanging off the bed and she had obvious gunshot wounds to her head as well.  It didn’t look like there had been a struggle and it looked like they had been asleep when they were shot.  

The police searched the rest of the house to ensure that there was no one else in the home.  When they went upstairs, though, they found a bedroom with the door locked.  They forced their way in and found a young man in his bed with a gaping blunt force trauma wound to his head.  According to the responding officers, his head and skull were cracked open and due to the cast off, they determined that there were at least two blows.  They identified this to be 23-year-old Derek Griffin.  Based on the fact that he was still in the fetal position, they believed that he, too, was asleep when he was killed. 

Because there were two different methods used, police quickly came to believe that Derek was killed first by what they believed was a hammer so that Bill and Susan wouldn’t be woken up by the gunshots.  Then the killer went downstairs and shot them both several times.  

The investigation began right away at the property.  Police quickly determined that the house was just a normal family home and everything was in place.  There were no signs of forced entry, either.  Not only that, but there were no shell casings found at the scene, so it looked like the killer had time to clean them up.  They also noted that the killer took the time to shut both bedroom doors, even locking Derek’s.  

Investigators began searching the large property and found muddy footprints on the dock by the pond.  They thought that maybe the killer threw the weapons, which they believed were a hammer and a small caliber firearm into the pond, possibly with clothes or other evidence as well.  The pond was drained and investigators searched for any evidence, but found nothing. 

While this was happening, other officers were speaking with the neighbors, Mark and Michelle Gradel (hey, we know a Mark and Michelle!).  Michelle told investigators that she had heard three banging sounds at around 6:30 that morning.  The police continued to look through the house for any evidence of the killer, but found nothing.  They looked into the possibility of it being cult activity because it was Halloween, but with no evidence of that, the theory was quickly ruled out. 

So, they turned to the only witness they had at this point, 16-year-old Devon Griffin.  They had to wonder if he was telling the truth about coming home and going straight to his room to play video games.  They thought it was a bit odd that he hadn’t wondered where his family was in the approximately two hours he spent in his room.  

When speaking with Devon, he tells them that he had spent the night at his dad’s house and stopped home to change for his choir concert at around ten.  He said that there was nothing unusual at the house so he changed and left for church.  Detectives spoke with his dad who confirmed that he had been at his house the night before.  He stayed up until about 11:00 pm playing video games then went to bed.  He said he left for church around nine that morning.  They also spoke with members of the church who confirmed that Devon had been there.  With the confirmation from his father and other church members, they were able to rule Devon out with the knowledge that the shots were heard at 6:30 that morning. 

Police continued speaking with Devon, though, to see if there was anything else that he could tell them.  And it turned out, there was something.  Devon said that when he arrived home to change, his stepbrother, BJ, had been outside loading some things into Bill’s white F150 pickup and had asked him what he was doing at home and how long he was going to be there.  Devon told him that he just had to change and he was heading back out to church.  When he arrived back at home, though, BJ and the truck were gone. 

Now the police had another potential witness, or suspect, and began looking for BJ.  They found BJ’s cell phone number, but it had been turned off so they had no way to get in touch with him.  BJ’s mom and aunt lived about fifteen miles away, so officers were sent over there, but he wasn’t there, either.  Police then learned that the Liskes had a cabin in Carroll County.  They contacted police there and put out a BOLO, be on the lookout, for BJ. 

Investigators began looking into who BJ was and learned pretty quickly that there had been a lot of tension in the Liske home.  The issues started right after Bill and Susan got married in 2001 when Susan and her two sons moved in with Bill and BJ.  BJ was used to kind of having the run of the house because Bill left for work early in the morning, but Susan was now there and started enforcing rules in the home.  Rules like requiring BJ to actually go to school.  There were several altercations throughout the years and Susan was accosted by BJ on several occasions.  Mark Gradel told investigators that he was often called over to the house by Bill to help diffuse the situations.  It was said that Mark was somewhat of a calming presence for BJ. 

According to reporting by Sarah Weber for the Sandusky Register as well as information told in the Homicide for the Holidays episode, BJ had a long history with mental health issues and law enforcement.  In 2002, Bill called the authorities because BJ, who was sixteen at the time, was threatening to harm himself.  BJ was reportedly on house arrest at the time.  When police arrived, BJ attacked the officers and faced charges in juvenile court for assaulting a peace officer.  

Then, in October of 2004, BJ had gotten into a fight with Susan and hit her, hard, in the chest.  Two months later he was charged with felonious assault and kidnapping after hitting Susan with a coffee cup and stealing her car keys.  However, he was found incompetent to stand trial for those charges and they were eventually dropped.  

After this, BJ moved to a group home in Sandusky.  At this group home, he had at least three encounters with police – one of which was a physical fight with his dad when Bill was picking him for the weekend.  While staying in the group home, BJ would live there during the week, but was allowed to stay at the family home on the weekends.  In 2007, BJ was hospitalized and diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type and was put on medication.  According to the Mayo Clinic’s website, schizoaffective disorder is a mental health condition marked by a mix of schizophrenic symptoms, like hallucinations and delusions, and mood disorder symptoms like depression and mania.  Bipolar type includes bouts of hypomania or mania along with major depression.  The symptoms vary from person to person.  When BJ was 18, Bill officially kicked him out of the family home after he attempted to attack Susan while she was in the shower.  

Police also learned that Derek and BJ didn’t get along and that earlier in 2010, Derek had gotten into some trouble, but Bill and Susan hadn’t kicked him out.  Devon said that he and BJ generally avoided each other, so when BJ was fairly chatty with him on the day of the murders, it was unusual and stuck out. 

When speaking with family and neighbors about BJ, the police learned that BJ was dealing with “some obvious mental illness.”  He clearly had a history of violence, but they learned that if he drank alcohol, it got worse. 

So, after learning all of this about BJ, it was imperative that the police find him.  They reached out to the Carroll County police and asked them to check the family cabin for BJ.  Deputy Michael Balash was looking for the Liske cabin when he saw a white F150 in the driveway of one of the cabins.  He pulled in and confirmed that it was a match to the description he was given.  He knew that BJ was potentially armed and dangerous so he called for backup.  

Then he saw BJ step onto the front porch of the cabin getting ready to smoke a cigarette.  Deputy Balash exited his vehicle, drew his weapon, and ordered BJ to the ground.  He secured BJ until backup arrived and recalled that BJ was quiet during this time.  They Mirandized him, and then asked how long he had been at the cabin.  BJ told them it had been about three hours, but stopped answering any questions after that.  Police noticed at this time that there were brown and red stains on BJ’s socks and shoes. 

The cabin and surrounding property was searched for the potential murder weapons, but it was the truck that had the most evidence.  They found a .22 caliber rifle that was consistent with the wounds found on Bill and Susan.  There were also several blood stains in and on the F150.  While the search of the cabin was being conducted, police back at the Liske home were still searching for any evidence as well.  It was there that they found the bloody hammer that BJ used to kill Derek.  It was hidden under a safe at the back of a closet.  BJ was in custody and at the time charged with one count of murder with further charges pending. 

Then the next day, November 1st, 2010, Susan Dunmyer, Bill’s sister, who lived just fifteen minutes from the Liskes, died in a fire.  The police then had to consider if this was another murder and if BJ started the fire, too.  Initially, the reason for the fire was unknown, but it was quickly ruled as an accidental fire.  Devon said that his aunt was understandably, extremely upset that day and had gone to the garage to have a cigarette, but the gas had been left on and the cigarette hadn’t been properly put out.  With this information and the time of the fire, they knew that BJ hadn’t done it, and it was an accident.  

On November 2nd, BJ appeared in court where he was ordered to be held on $1 million bond.  DNA testing was done on BJ’s clothes and it was confirmed that he had Bill’s, Susan’s, and Derek’s DNA on his clothes.  The police also matched the footprints on the dock to the shoes that BJ had been wearing.  However, the actual confession to the murders came from a recorded phone call between BJ and his mom.  She had asked him how he could do this and he told her that he wasn’t in his right mind.  After this call, BJ changed his plea to guilty. 

In August of 2011, BJ pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder.  In exchange for his plea, prosecutors agreed to not seek the death penalty and would recommend life in prison without the possibility of parole.   

At the sentencing trial, family members of Bill, Susan, and Derek expressed that they just wanted to know why this happened.  Laurie Morse, Susan’s sister-in-law said, “I will never get the events of that day out of my head.  Our family has suffered an indescribable loss.  BJ tore our hearts out and destroyed our family’s happiness as we knew it.  We feel such crippling grief.  We will never hear Susan’s laughter or see Derek’s smile again or feel a bear hug from Bill.”

Lisa, Bill’s sister, said, “We just don’t understand how something like this could happen.  You see stuff like this on TV and think it will never happen to your family.  You love someone so much and then they take something away from you.  My only brother, my sister-in-law, Derek.”  She then turned to BJ and said, “I just don’t know how you could do it when he loved you so much.”  Judge Winters then stopped her and advised her to address the court, not the defendant.  

BJ made a statement as well.  He said, “I loved my dad very much, and it makes me feel sick every time I think about what I did.  I can’t really explain why this all had to happen, but I think most of all it had to do with my mental illness.”  He also stated that it was all his fault and he doesn’t blame anyone but himself.  Before handing down the sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, Judge Bruce Winters said, “The court is not in a position to make this whole.  It is not in a position to bring back loved ones.  The court can only hope to do justice.” 

Prosecutors believed that BJ bludgeoned Derek to death with the claw hammer before going downstairs to shoot his father, Bill, five times in the head.  He then shot Susan three times.  There was also physical evidence that indicated Susan was sexually assaulted either right before or right after her death.  

BJ’s defense attorney, Adrian Cimerman, said that BJ was decided legally sane, but was clearly mentally ill.  He stated that it was unknown whether or not BJ had taken his prescribed medication for his schizoaffective disorder on the night/morning of the murders, but it is known that he had been drinking alcohol. 

On March 15, 2015, five years after the murders, BJ Liske was found dead in his cell at Ross Correctional Institution.  He died of self-inflicted wounds.  He was 29-years-old at the time.  One of BJ’s defense attorneys, John Thebes, stated after his death that he wasn’t surprised that BJ had died by suicide.  He said, “He was obviously a disturbed human being.  And facing the prospect of life without parole, it doesn’t surprise me.”  Thebes also stated that psychologists’ evaluations that were done for the court made BJ’s mental health problems clear and that he may have been better suited in a mental health facility rather than prison.

At the end of Homicide for the Holidays, Devon said, “BJ wasn’t a monster.  We were trying our hardest to kinda help him, but we may not had the necessary understanding to help him the way he needed to be helped.  Devon got married on the property he grew up on and says that he can’t have a sad memory of a place where he lived and loved.  Devon and his wife, Alyssa, have a son who they named Derek after his brother. 

From what I can see on Devon’s Facebook page, he participates in BMX competitions and has had some podiums.  Derek also competes in the children’s division as well and also made the podium!