KEVIN W WALLS

Ann Zwiefelhofer's Story

A Loving Wife, Grandmother, And Friend

Ann Boyle and her twin sister Alice were born in 1902 in Hamilton, Ohio. At age 26 Ann Boyle married the love of her life Joseph Zwiefelhoefer at St. Mary Church. Mr. Zwiefelhoefer worked at The Ford Motor Company and Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer worked at Champion Paper. The couple would eventually purchase their dream home at 1433 Maple Avenue. Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer took great pride in the couple’s home and was known for keeping it immaculate. According to Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer’s great nephew, “The whole family spent a lot of good times at The Zwiefelhoefer’s house.” The Zwiefelhoefer’s had one daughter Joyce, who gave them four grandchildren, two boys and two girls.

Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer loved her family dearly and was a wonderful friend and neighbor. She was extremely close to her niece Eileen Bachman. They went shopping often and enjoyed their time together. The Zwiefelhoefer’s attended every family holiday function and were known for the great birthday presents they bought the children.

Friends and neighbors knew Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer as “Annie”. She would do anything for them. Bessie Robinson, a neighbor who lived across the street, did not drive. So Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer drove her where she needed to go. Together they went to the bank, cashed their social security checks, paid their bills, and shopped for groceries. Mrs. Robinson recalled in 1985, “She was older than me and she got around twice as good as I did. When we went to the supermarket, she always carried the heavy stuff.”

Eventually the Zwiefelhoefer’s took in their four grandchildren, who were in elementary and middle school at the time. They raised the children together until 1976 when Mr. Zwiefelhoefer passed away. Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer then did it alone. The Zwiefelhoefer’s put the children through private grade school and high school with no financial assistance from anyone else. The children remained with Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer until they graduated from college. According the Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer’s eldest grandson, who lived with her until her death, “My grandmother was a very special person to us. She basically raised us four kids.”

Although Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer was 83-years-old she did not act like it. She continued to keep her house in impeccable condition and spent much of her time working on projects in her basement. She was in good health, totally self-sufficient, and was still driving. She never could have imagined her well lived life would come to such a tragic end.

A Horrible, Brutal Murder

On March 8, 1985, Mrs. Zwieflhoefer’s niece Eileen Bachmann could not reach her aunt by telephone. Ms. Bachmann became concerned and drove from her home to check on her Aunt Ann. What she found would haunt her until her death and change her life forever. When she arrived , Mrs. Bachmann noticed the front screen door and entry door had been forced open. Upon entering the house Ms. Bachmann found her Aunt Ann’s bloody lifeless body on the flowered carpet in the living room. A Rosary was on the floor near her body. Mrs. Bachman immediately called the Hamilton, Ohio Police Department who arrived minutes later.

Coroner Richard Burkhardt determined Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer was murdered and had nine (9) stab wounds to her chest and abdomen. None of the wounds were fatal and Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer did not die quickly. She slowly bled to death from her injuries.

The immaculate house had been ransacked by the killer. Drawers were pulled out, cabinets were open, and items were overturned. The police concluded that Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer was in the basement and heard her murderer upstairs going through the cabinets and drawers, looking for items to steal. Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer went upstairs to investigate the noise and met her death.

It was apparent 83-year-old Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer fought the brutal attacker and did everything she could to survive. Multiple defense wounds were found on her hands. It was obvious to detectives that the murderer did not care about Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer’s life. He cared about stealing items from her home. Had the killer made an anonymous call to get her help, Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer death could have been prevented by receiving medical attention. Ultimately the murderer chose to flee the scene leaving Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer to die on the living room floor.

There were over 2,000 fingerprints collected from the scene. Fingerprints were found throughout the house including on the forced open door and on a money jar that was at the scene. Thirteen (13) of those fingerprints were not identifiable.

All of the evidence was stored with the police department, and the case was eventually classified as an unsolved murder and burglary. Several detectives were assigned the case over the years however the case remained unsolved. It would take thirteen years for Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer’s family to receive the answers they needed to accept her senseless death.

A Rookie Detective Solves The Mystery

In 1998, a rookie, female Detective, Sherry Marcum, was assigned the cold case of Ann Zwiefelhoefer. She immediately began her crusade to find the murderer. Det. Marcum was given a box of fingerprint cards, case files, photos and written statements; and, the thirteen unidentified prints from the crime scene.

Det. Marcum called the London, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI) and spoke to fingerprint expert Sheryl Mahan. Ms. Mahan discussed a new electronic system to run fingerprints that would compare them to convicted felons that were fingerprinted and entered into the new system when incarcerated. Det. Marcum requested all thirteen prints be entered into this new electronic system hoping to get a match.

BCI contacted Det. Marcum to notify her they had found a match to an inmate named Kevin Walls who was serving time in the Dayton Ohio Correctional Facility. Mr. Walls had been arrested in 1994, for an aggravated robbery. He had stormed a local bar in Hamilton, Ohio with a gun with the intent of robbing the establishment. Det. Marcum began researching Mr. Walls, and learned he had been a student at local Junior High School at the time of Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer’s death. The school was two blocks, around 450 feet, from the crime scene. The puzzle pieces were fitting together.

Senior homicide Detective James Nugent and Det. Marcum went to the Dayton Correctional facility to interview Mr. Walls. The Detectives determined the information they needed from Inmate Walls. Did he do yard work for Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer? Was he familiar with Maple Avenue near Garfield Junior High? Did he know Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer? Had he ever been to or inside the Zwiefelhoefer home? Mr. Walls had uncontrollable physical reactions immediately to the Detectives line of questioning. His eyes watered and his respiratory rate increased. Mr. Walls denied doing work for the victim, being in her house or knowing Mrs. Zwiefelhoefer. He admitted being familiar with the geography of the area. Mr. Walls gave very incriminating answers based on the thirteen-year-old physical evidence. The Detectives knew they had their killer.

A Killer Gets A Life Sentence

Kevin Walls was indicted for the murder of Ann Zwiefelhoefer on November 13, 1998, more than 14 years after he killed her. The state agreed to drop the aggravated burglary charge due to the six-year statute of limitations. Walls was tried by a jury for the murder of Ann Zwiefelhoefer. The most damning evidence were the 13 fingerprints found at the scene. According to Butler County Ohio Assistant Prosecutor Dan Eichel at trial, “There were telltale fingerprints left behind at the scene by the murderer. They are the silent witnesses.” Kevin Walls did not testify and took no responsibility for his actions. It took a jury only three hours to convict Walls of aggravated murder for killing Ann Zwiefelhoefer. Walls was sentenced to 20-years to life in prison.

No Parole

Kevin Walls brutally murdered Ann Zwiefelhoefer. Rather than take responsibility for his crimes, Walls lived free for years with no regrets or remorse for killing a defenseless 83-year-old woman. Had he not been caught for committing another violent crime, an aggravated robbery with a gun at a bar, Walls would still be living a care free life with no regard for Ann Zwiefelhoefer.

Kevin Walls is a vicious murderer who stabbed a vulnerable 83-year-old victim nine times and left her to die a slow death on her living room floor. Walls also has a second conviction for committing a robbery with a gun. Rather than be accountable for his actions Walls spent 13 years avoiding responsibility for the murder of Ann Zwiefelhoefer. Granting parole to Kevin Walls would not be in the best interests of society, and would pose a tremendous risk to the community, especially the elderly. In addition, releasing Kevin Walls would be a complete injustice to Ann Zwiefelhoefer and her family. To further the interests of justice and protect the community we urge the Ohio Parole Board to deny parole for Kevin Walls and require him to serve his full LIFE sentence.