Pair free after 16 years Resh, Gondor out of jail Friday pending new murder trial

While they've been ordered to be placed on electronically monitored house arrest, their release was still cause for celebration by family and friends.

After posting bond on Friday, Randy Resh's family came to greet him immediately upon his release.

"We really wanted to get him out of jail before the weekend," Randy's brother, Mike Resh, said.

Resh's parents, Eleanor and Guy Resh, Mike and his wife, Karen, and cousin, Brian Resh, all of Mantua, came to the Portage County jail to see Randy Resh released from jail.

The family also was among a crowd of 50 or more supporters who showed up for Friday's bond hearing in Portage County Common Pleas Court.

"It's been the moment we've been waiting on for 16 long years," Mike Resh said at the jail.

Prior to Resh's release, his family provided him with a change of clothes for the trip home.

"It's been a long time," Brian Resh said.

Donning a bright red Ohio State Buckeyes sweatshirt, Resh hugged his mother and thanked his family members for their support.

"Randy was really into sports and so are my kids," Brian Resh said. "It's a shame he had to miss all of their games over all these years."

Resh will be staying at the family home in Mantua. The family planned to have pizza for dinner Friday night.

"It feels pretty good to be out," Resh said. "We still have a legal fight ahead of us and we need to get ready."

Resh said he would like to thank the many supporters who kept their faith while he was in prison.

He said he looked forward to relaxing over the weekend.

"I'm ready to go home," Resh said.

When asked if he or Gondor were responsible for the death of Connie Nardi, he said, "No."

Resh and Gondor appeared in Portage County Common Pleas Court on Friday for bond hearings after the Ohio Supreme Court recently upheld a four-year-old decision ordering the men new trials on a 1988 murder case.

Judge Laurie Pittman ordered Resh's bond set at $250,000 cash or surety, while Judge John Enlow a short time later set bond for Gondor at 10 percent of $100,000, along with a $100,000 personal recognizance bond.

Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Buchanan had asked both judges to set bond at $1 million, which is what bond has been set at in more recent murder cases.

The two men were tried separately and convicted in 1990 of the 1988 kidnapping, attempted rape and murder of Connie Nardi, a 31-year-old divorced mother from Randolph. Since then, both have maintained their innocence and fought for the chance to have their cases retried in court.

Julia Farago, Gondor's mother and a Barberton resident, wiped tears throughout the brief hearing. Afterward, she hugged her son's attorneys and thanked all those who came to support the men.

"I'm just very happy," she said. "I can't describe the last 16 years ... they've just been hard. Very hard."

Portage County Prosecutor Victor Vigluicci, who did not attend the hearings, said Friday it would be "improper" for him to comment on the cases prior to trial.

"I'm attempting to minimize pre-trial publicity and maintain a fair and impartial jury pool," he said by phone.

Trial dates were set Friday for both men -- Resh's for March 27 before Pittman and Gondor's for April 18 before Enlow, though a motion has been filed by defense attorneys seeking to consolidate the cases. A hearing on that motion was tentatively set for Thursday in Pittman's courtroom.

Asked how she felt about having to go through another trial, Gondor's mother simply said, "I have a feeling it's all going to be OK."

Mark Marein, one of Resh's attorneys, pleaded with Pittman for a lower bond than the $1 million sought by the prosecutor, saying he did not believe his client to be a danger to the community or a flight risk.

"These are Randy's family and friends," Marein said, looking toward the packed gallery of the courtroom. "I can assure you, this fella has waited 16 and a half years for this opportunity ... and I look forward to that opportunity, as does he."

Marein later said Resh's parents and brother planned to put up their Mantua homes for the bond.

Steven Bradley, who represented Gondor in Enlow's courtroom, also argued that his client poses no threat to the community, nor is he a flight risk.

"He will stay in this community," Bradley asserted. "We need him to be out to assist in the most important event of his life."

He said Gondor's brother, Jim, was leaving immediately after the hearing to get a $10,000 cashier's check from a nearby bank to post as bond.

Attorneys for both Resh and Gondor say the men will stay with relatives in the Portage County area while awaiting trial.

For more updates see www.freebobandrandy.com

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