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Randy Scheffield died on December 27, 2011. His story will be featured on tonight’s episode of A Time to Kill on Investigation Discovery.
After finding Scheffield unresponsive with blood coming out of his ear in his bedroom, his wife Doretta said she believed that he may have had a heart attack or stroke. Paramedics disagreed, however, once they found a bullet wound from a .22 caliber handgun in the back of his head.
Scheffield’s death rocked the small town of Newbury Township, Ohio and garnered an international reputation, leading to the case being featured on Murders A-Z and Investigation Discovery’s The Perfect Murder.
Who Was Randy Scheffield?
Sheffield grew up near Cleveland, Ohio in the industrial midwest. He attended the University of Akron and later worked as a landscaper, which he grew to enjoy after realizing it was steady work that kept him outside and busy all day.
After college, Scheffield founded his company, Scheffield Lawns, and he hired his mother as the bookkeeper.
Scheffield met his second wife, Doretta Boyce, at The Greenville Inn, a pub in Chagrin, Falls, Ohio. Together, they developed a passion for snowboarding and motorcycling.
Boyce had three children from her previous marriage, and two of them moved in with her and Scheffield when they moved in together. Scheffield was reportedly especially close to her then 11-year-old son David Rowles, Jr., known as Tig.
Ten years later, in 2002, the couple got married. Tig began dating a hairdresser named Gina Battaglia and moved out, getting a place with her.
Who Killed Randy Scheffield?
More than one person was involved with the murder of Randy Scheffield including his wife Doretta, Tig and Battaglia.
Tig was reportedly anxious to take over for his step-father at the business, and police received a phone call from a woman claiming to be Battaglia’s friend saying that she had been frustrated Scheffield had not retired yet and handed the business over.
Then, investigators interviewed Scheffield’s mother Rebecca who said that Randy’s mail had been sent to her home and included letters from the Ohio Department of Taxation. She learned from those letters that the company owed the state over $100,000. Reportedly, when she confronted Scheffield’s wife, she asked that Randy not find out.
Cell phone data later retrieved showed that Doretta was home at the time of the murder and she and Battaglia had both lied about where they had been that day.
Where Are Doretta Scheffield, David Rowles Jr., and Gina Battaglia Today?
It took four years, but investigators did eventually bring charges against all three of the co-conspirators.
According to The News Herald, Doretta’s trial went on for eight days and three days of deliberation, but the jury found her guilty on all counts including aggravated murder, murder and tampering with evidence. She was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison plus 30 months for the tampering with evidence charge.
Charges against Tig were ultimately dismissed. The Geauga County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Driscoll said that they believe “it would be unable to prove the allegations in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.”
In January 2016, Battaglia pleaded guilty to tampering with evidence and obstruction of justice. She was sentenced to two years in prison for each count, with those two sentences to be served concurrently. She was released in 2017.
Doretta will be eligible for parole in 2042 when she will be 91 years old.
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