Bellevue man, 80, guilty in beating death of wife

2/11/2011

NORWALK, Ohio — An 80-year-old Bellevue, Ohio, man was found guilty Friday of beating his wife to death.

Clifford Beach was convicted of murder, aggravated murder, and gross abuse of a corpse following a three-day jury trial in Huron County Common Pleas Court. He faces 20 years to life in prison when he is sentenced March 22 by Judge James Conway.

Beach, who took the stand in his own defense, claimed he meant to scare his wife of 30 years, Linda Beach, 63, but not to kill her when he took a pickax and some gardening tools and struck her repeatedly in their home Aug. 16.

Authorities were not alerted until the next day when a woman arrived at the house to take Beach to a doctor's appointment, and he told her to call 911.