Renee Patterson

Joshua Marsh's Story

An Innocent Life Cut Short

On April 10, 1990, Renee Patterson went into her two-year-old son Joshua Marsh’s room armed with a large kitchen knife. Patterson walked over to Joshua’s crib and slit Joshua’s throat.

Patterson’s husband, who had bought cocaine for her prior to the murder, arrived home and found Patterson in the bathtub with several knives and a cut on her wrist. She told him she had killed Joshua. Patterson’s husband then called police.

When police arrived at the home they found Joshua dead in his blood-stained crib with blood all around him. Joshua was wearing only a pair of sweatpants, and a scar from a heart surgery Joshua had recently undergone was still visible on his chest.

A Mother Confesses to Murder and Gets Life

Renee Patterson was arrested and, during her interrogation, she first denied killing Joshua, then acknowledged doing so, “Not on purpose, I didn’t mean to.” She then paused before saying, “Yes, I did, but I didn’t mean to.” According to Patterson she was planning on committing suicide and that is why she killed Joshua. Patterson claimed she murdered her son because there would be no one to care for him after she was gone.

At trial, Patterson’s husband testified that he had gone out earlier in the night to get cocaine. He and Patterson then began to fight when he would not get her more. He testified that Patterson pulled a shotgun on him, which he wrestled away from her and took it to his mother’s nearby home. When he returned ten minutes later, he reported he had to force his way into the house and found Renee Patterson sitting in a bathtub with several knives around her.

The coroner testified that Joshua’s trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries and muscles in his neck were cut. The coroner also stated there were several marks, presumably from a knife blade, on the boy’s cervical spine. According to the coroner, a wound that severe likely came from a sawing action. The coroner stated Joshua suffered for two or three minutes before he died from loss of blood.

It took only three hours of deliberation for a jury to convict Patterson of aggravated murder. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Lynett McGough sentenced Patterson to 20 years to life in prison.

Records indicate this was not the first time Patterson had issues with Joshua. Prior to Joshua’s death, he had spent time in the custody of Cuyahoga County Children’s Services due to issues within the home.

No Parole

Renee Patterson is cold-blooded child killer who murdered her own son. Releasing Patterson at any point would be a complete injustice to Joshua Marsh and would demean her cruelty to him. In addition, putting Patterson back on the streets would pose an extreme risk to any child who would come into contact with her. Based on the heinous and brutal nature of her crime, and the fact Renee Patterson brutally killed her defenseless, innocent, two-year-old son, we believe to further the interests of justice and to protect the community that Renee Patterson should remain in prison for her entire life sentence. We urge the Ohio Parole Board to give Patterson the maximum ten-year continuance at all future parole board hearings.