Authorities Investigate Strange Slaying of Young Ohio Couple

Feb 1, 2011 – 6:02 PM



A young Ohio couple were found slain inside their home, and police say they have no suspects or motive in the mysterious crime.

The Lucas County Sheriff's Office has identified the couple as 21-year-old Johnny Clarke and his girlfriend, 20-year old Lisa Straub. Their bodies were discovered shortly before 4 a.m. Monday by Clarke's father, John P. Clarke.

The couple lived with Straub's parents, who were out of town on a Caribbean cruise for their 25th wedding anniversary. The Straubs' home is on Longacre Road in Holland, about 15 miles southwest of Toledo, police said.

Authorities suspect the slayings occurred sometime between 1 and 4 a.m. Monday. The couple was last seen alive Sunday night, when Clarke picked Straub up from her job at a T.G.I. Friday's restaurant. They apparently made it home, but what happened to them afterward remains a mystery.

Continues... http://www.aolnews.com/2011/02/01/ohio-authorities-investigate-strange-slayings-of-johnny-clarke-a/

This is horrible, what a beautiful young couple. It sounds as if someone may have known the parents were out of town possibly. The article doesn't state if items were missing from the house.

SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP -- NBC24 is learning more about the two young people murdered in a Springfield Township home early Monday morning.

Family members say 20-year old Lisa Straub and her boyfriend 21-year old Johnny Clarke lived together at Straub's parents home where they were found dead. Jeffery and Mary Beth Straub were out of town. They left Friday for a seven day cruise to the Caribbean to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary but they are making their way home.

Video: http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/story.aspx?id=574951&sms_ss=gmail&at_xt=4d4c172a0b9932b6%2C0

UPDATE: The Lucas County Sheriff's Department is defending its actions in the wake of the double-homicide. They say they twice responded to the 911 calls, but didn't see anything remotely amiss either time. And they can't just kick people's doors in on a hunch.

She called 911 for a welfare check at 1:24 a.m. She called again at just after 2. But when police arrived both times, they found no one home, no tracks in the snow, no indication of forced entry, nothing. So they let it be...

UPDATE: Johnny Clarke was talking on the phone when the killers arrived.

Johny Clarke was talking to a friend on the phone at 11 p.m. on the night of the murder. He was supposed to go pick her up, according to the Toledo Blade. "He was telling her he was going out the door," says his mom, Maytee Vasquez-Clarke, in her first 911 call at 1:21 a.m. "And all she heard was the phone drop and heard my son saying in the background, 'Who are you? What do you want? What are you doing here?'"


http://www.truecrimereport.com/2011/02/johnny_s_clarke_lisa_straub_fo.php

Mom believes murdered son, girlfriend were set up
Updated: Thursday, 03 Feb 2011, 11:19 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 03 Feb 2011, 7:15 PM EST

Sharia Davis
FOX Toledo News reporter
TOLEDO, Ohio (WUPW) - Maytee Vasquez-Clarke, the mother of 21-year-old John Clarke, believes her son and his girlfriend were set up to die.

Vasquez-Clarke also said her son's unknown killer or killers had the attack all planned out.

Mom believes murdered son, girlfriend were set up: foxtoledo.com

http://www.foxtoledo.com/dpp/news/local/Clarke's-mother-speaks

Murder victim's mother speaks
Thursday, February 03, 2011



John Clarke's mother tells 13abc FBI agents are also investigating the murder of her son and his girlfriend.

Clarke, 21, and Lisa Straub, 20, were found dead in her parents home in the 2100 block of Longacre Lane.

John Clarke's mother says she wants detectives to seek the death penalty in the case if an arrest is made.

Clarke's mother Maytee was there when her husband found the bodies "and found Johnny tied up with hands behind his back and a bag over his head with tape all around it and he rips the back open, he touches his face, it's stiff, he can't move it. She told me to call 911 then he goes to Lisa and rips the bag off and she's tied up too and she's got like a pile of blood on the floor but a bag over her head and then dry blood on the side of her head."

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/story?section=news/local&id=7938127&rss=rss-wtvg-article-7938127