Teen indicted in 2 boys’ deaths

Aggravated murder charges filed in Putnam County court

Michael Aaron Fay, 17, is escorted out of the courtroom after a hearing.

OTTAWA, Ohio — An indictment charging 17-year-old Michael Aaron Fay with aggravated murder in the deaths of two brothers was filed Wednesday in Putnam County Common Pleas Court.

The six-count indictment stems from the May 9 killings of Blaine Romes, 14, and his brother, Blake Romes, 17, who were shot in their mobile home in Ottawa.

The Fay youth, who lived with his mother, the victims, and their mother in the home, is charged with two counts each of aggravated murder and abuse of a corpse and one count each of tampering with evidence and grand theft of a vehicle.

According to the common pleas clerk’s office, the prosecutor’s office presented evidence in the case to the grand jury on Wednesday.

Todd Schroeder, an assistant county prosecutor who signed the indictment, could not be reached for comment.

The Fay youth is to be arraigned at 8 a.m. today before Common Pleas Judge Randall Basinger. He is held in the Wood County Juvenile Detention Facility in Bowling Green.

RELATED: Fay enters not guilty pleas to all charges

Putnam County Juvenile Judge Michael Borer last week certified the teen to be tried as an adult after he and his mother, Victoria Fay, did not contest the case’s transfer to Common Pleas Court.

The teen was arrested in Columbus outside a gas station May 9 as he returned to a vehicle that had been reported missing hours earlier from the mobile home park.

The Romes boys’ mother, Michelle Grothause, discovered the car had been taken when she left work and returned home to look for her youngest son who was supposed to leave on a class trip to Washington.

Ms. Grothause, who is in a domestic partnership with Michael Fay’s mother, learned that her sons and Ms. Fay’s son were missing and the trailer covered with blood.

That led to an Amber Alert being issued several hours later.

After his arrest in Columbus, the Fay youth gave statements to police that led to the locations of Blaine and Blake Romes' bodies.

Contact Mark Reiter at: markreiter@theblade.com or 419-724-6199.