Menke gets 20 years for killing mother

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

An Ohio City woman who killed her mother and wounded her father will spend at least the next 20 years in prison after she was sentenced Friday in Van Wert County Common Pleas Court.

Tamara L. Menke, 48, listened emotionlessly as Judge Charles D. Steele sentenced her to 15 years to life on an amended charge of murder, downgraded from aggravated murder, and three years in prison on a charge of felonious assault, a felony of the second degree. Both of those charges are to be served consecutive to each other, as well as two one-year prison terms on firearms specifications included with the murder and assault counts.

Judge Steele gave Menke credit for 183 days already served while awaiting sentencing in the case.

Menke’s attorney, Scott Gordon, called Chuck Eberle, a retired volunteer chaplain at the Van Wert County Correctional Facility and former church pastor, to testify on behalf of Menke.

Eberle, who said he has known the woman for approximately 30 years, recounted Menke’s relationship with her mother, Barbara Robinson, who he said had rejected Menke as her daughter since she was a young girl.

“I witnessed many times where Tammy had tried to work her way into her family, to get her family to recognize her as their daughter … and give her love,” Eberle said. “And every time this happened she was rejected.”

Eberle noted that Menke had been left with her grandmother after she was born, but that the grandmother died when she was just 10 years old.

The former pastor of a rural church in the Middle Point area that Menke also attended, also told of Menke’s mother telling his client after her brother committed suicide, “Well, he’s probably better off.”

Eberle pleaded with the judge to be lenient with Menke because of her family problems. “Her life has been one of tragedy, has been one of one emotional explosion after another,” he said. “She needs help, not punishment; she has been punished far greater than any court could ever punish anyone.”

Assistant County Prosecutor Martin Burchfield urged the judge to consider the victim’s impact statement provided as part of the presentence investigation, while the victim’s husband, John Robinson, who is also Menke’s father, had a statement read into the record concerning his feelings about losing his wife. Robinson was also wounded in the shooting incident, which occurred November 14, 2013, at the Robinsons’ resident at 223 S. Fulton St. in Van Wert.

After shooting her parents, Menke fled the scene and remained at large for approximately 15 hours until she was captured without incident near her Ohio City residence.

Menke had originally considered pleading not guilty by reason of insanity in the case, but was later found competent to stand trial following mental health assessments conducted by two psychiatrists.