WILMINGTON — Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney Richard “Rick” W. Moyer passed away over the weekend at the age of 70.
Local attorney and former Clinton County Prosecutor William “Bill” Peelle worked with Moyer in the prosecutor’s office.
“Rick was a brilliant and compassionate prosecutor. He respected all the dedicated law enforcement officers who serve our community every day,” Peelle said Monday.
As a prosecutor, Moyer regularly showed kindness, caring and empathy to crime victims and their family, said Peelle.
Moyer had the ability to put together the pieces of very complex cases and then present them to the jurors in a very reasonable and understandable form, he said.
The staffers left by Moyer at the Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office are service-oriented personnel, Peelle added.
“He was loyal, honest and trustworthy,” said Peelle.
Clinton County Republican Party Executive Committee Chairman Tim Inwood provided comments Saturday about the loss of Moyer, who was a Republican with a long-time presence in the Clinton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Moyer was “a fantastic county prosecutor,” Inwood said. The county GOP Executive Committee chairman then brought up what Moyer may be best known for among the general public — serving on the prosecution in the high-profile case of Carrie Culberson’s murder.
“Actually getting a conviction where there was no body of the deceased. That was historic,” Inwood remarked.
He further described Moyer as “a wise legal counselor, a dear friend, and such a giant within our community.”
Indeed, Moyer was a big-framed man who hailed from the Martinsville area of Clinton County.
Moyer served the residents of Clinton County since 1988 when he began working an an Assistant Prosecutor. He was reared in Clinton County and attended Martinsville School until his freshman year when Martinsville School consolidated with Wilmington City Schools.
He graduated from Wilmington College in 1976, and from Capital University Law School in 1988.
He was appointed as Chief Felony Prosecutor here in 1992. During his years as Chief Felony Counsel from 1992 to 2008, Moyer prosecuted many cases, including the following:
• Joey Haney: A 17-year-old who shot and killed his girlfriend’s mother, Mary Turner, and then shot her father.
• James Goff: Put on death row for the aggravated murder of Myrtle Rutledge.
• Mitchell Gulley: This case, from 1984, was solved in 2000 when the defendant plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
• Vincent Doan: Doan was convicted of aggravated murder and other charges in the death of Carrie Culberson, whose body has never been found. Doan is serving a life sentence without parole.
Please see Mr. Moyer’s full obituary on Page 2 of the Tuesday edition of the News Journal.
