The Spooky House Incident

In August 2006, just before the start of their senior year in high school, a group of girls were driving around their hometown of Worthington, Ohio. The boring night was suddenly filled with exciting potential when they decided to cruise by what the local kids called the “spooky house,” a run-down dwelling with an overgrown yard that was perfectly situated across the street from a cemetery. The teens thought it was abandoned. They were, unfortunately, quite mistaken.

The Ohio “Spooky House” as it appeared in 2007, a year after the shooting. Image: AP Photo/The Columbus Dispatch, James D. DeCamp

It wasn’t the first time 41-year-old Allen S. Davis, a recluse who lived in the house with his elderly mother, had been beset by unwanted guests; he’d thwarted a couple of break-ins in 2006. He had a rifle as protection, and when he heard the girls outside, he figured he’d fire off some warning shots, since it had worked before. But this time, a wayward bullet struck 17-year-old Rachel Barezinsky in the head.

Miraculously, she survived, and the ensuing case divided the community. Some people believed Davis was likely mentally ill, but still acting within his rights to protect his property. But as Fox News reported in 2007:

Police determined the girls were not trespassing because they had not gone far enough onto the property and no clearly visible signs had been posted.

Davis said in jailhouse interviews that he did not intend to hurt anyone. He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of felonious assault to avoid a drawn-out probe into his personal life.

In 2009, Davis’ mother died in the home while her son was in prison serving his 19-year sentence. In 2013, Barezinsky’s family said that the young woman was “90 percent recovered” from her injuries. That same year, the “spooky house” was purchased at auction by new owners who were determined to completely renovate the place. A Google Earth search proves they did an amazing job, though there’s no hiding that view of the cemetery.