SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — On Thursday, the Summit County Prosecutor announced that 68-year-old Wayne Doyle has been denied parole for the brutal death of a 7-year-old boy in 1987.
Doyle was convicted of beating Charlie Wright to death, as well as assaulting Charlie's brother, and was sentenced to serve 40 years in prison for the crimes. At the time of the assaults, the 7-year-old endured several broken bones and a ruptured intestine due to the severity of the beating. Although doctors had attempted to save him from his injuries, the young boy died 20 hours after Doyle's assault.
The Summit County Prosecutor's Office said last week before the parole board's meeting that it was "strongly opposed" to Doyle's early release from prison, and believed he should serve the full 40-year sentence he was given for the crime he committed against Charlie.
The parole consideration came after an Oct. 2020 decision in which the panel voted to release Doyle. The family of Charlie and his older brother spoke with the Board on Wednesday morning asking the members to reconsider the request "for a number of reasons, including lack of a responsibility for the crime, a poorly conceived release plan and the discovery that Wayne Doyle had not taken part in any prison programming for 11 years."
The Ohio Parole Board voted 6-4 against allowing Doyle parole. The board also approved the Summit County Prosecutor's Offices' request to deny the 68-year-old any future parole considerations.
