Tyrone Noling, 54, has spent three decades on Ohio's death row for the 1990 double murder of Bernhardt and Cora Hartig, a crime he maintains he did not commit. On Tuesday, he had a rare opportunity to argue for a full pardon before the Ohio Parole Board, presenting a case bolstered by new evidence and the support of the Ohio Innocence Project.
Noling's bid for clemency includes recanted witness testimony, shifts in stance from the former sheriff and a juror from his trial, and evidence suggesting another executed killer may be responsible. His case has drawn attention from documentaries, true-crime podcasts, and public figures including Kim Kardashian and actors Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
The hearing was the first for an Ohio death row inmate since 2020. Following deliberations, the parole board will send a recommendation to Gov. Mike DeWine, who has the ultimate authority to grant or deny a pardon. In June, DeWine publicly called for the abolition of the death penalty, stating his belief that it is no longer an effective deterrent to violent crime.
Clemency hearings for death row inmates typically occur only after an execution date has been set, making Noling's hearing a significant step. He is seeking release and has stated he would refuse a commutation to life without parole, as he maintains his innocence.
Noling was convicted in the April 5, 1990, killings of the Hartigs, both 81, at their Portage County home. Their bodies were discovered by a neighbor days after their lawn mower had been left unattended. Bernhardt Hartig sustained three gunshot wounds, and Cora Hartig sustained five, both shot with a .25-caliber automatic handgun. The couple's home was ransacked.
Authorities initially alleged Noling, who was 18 at the time, was part of a group involved in robberies targeting elderly couples. Three other individuals, who were minors at the time of the crime, initially implicated Noling in the Hartig murders during a burglary. However, they later recanted their statements, claiming police coerced them into naming Noling as the shooter.
Charges of aggravated burglary against Noling were dropped in 1992. He was subsequently reindicted by a grand jury in 1995 for the Hartig murders and sentenced to death in 1996.
No physical evidence directly linked Noling to the crime, and the murder weapon was never recovered. Noling's supporters highlight evidence, including law enforcement notes and a cigarette butt found in the Hartigs' driveway, that they say points to other potential suspects. Among these is Dan Wilson, who was executed in Ohio in 2009 for a separate crime. Noling's legal team has cited court documents indicating a man told authorities that his foster brother, Wilson, had confessed to committing the murders.
Former Portage County Sheriff Ken Howe, now 83, is scheduled to testify in Noling's support. Howe told The Associated Press that he observed irregularities at the time of the investigation and that subsequent evidence has convinced him of Noling's innocence. "I believe that these boys were, and are, innocent," Howe stated.
The Portage County Prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The parole board is expected to issue its recommendation to the governor within six business days of the hearing.