Murder suspect denies guilt in juvenile court

CELINA - Trevin M. Sanders followed along page by page on Wednesday morning as Mercer County Juvenile Court Judge Mary Pat Zitter read from a 14-page document listing all the counts he faces in connection with the November 2011 murders of Robert and Colleen Grube.

Court-appointed attorney Donna M. Post then entered a denial plea on her client's behalf. The response equates to a not guilty plea in adult court.

The judge now must decide whether the 5-foot-2-inch Union City man will be tried as an adult or juvenile. Zitter will announce her decision May 6.

Sanders, currently labeled an alleged delinquent child, was 17 years old when he allegedly shot the wheelchair-bound Robert Grube and his daughter to death at their Burrville Road home near Fort Recovery. He faces 27 charges, including aggravated murder, murder, involuntary manslaughter, kidnapping (restraining the freedom), aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and burglary and theft, all of which contain gun specifications.

The majority of the charges are first-degree felonies with the least serious offense being misdemeanor theft. It refers to the alleged theft of miscellaneous items belonging to Colleen Grube. A laptop computer and a firearm also were missing from the home, according to investigators.

Sanders was present without a parent in the courtroom. Zitter said the court attempted without success to serve paperwork to his mother, Tracey Riley.

The judge also compared the possible sentences he could face. If convicted of aggravated murder as a juvenile, Sanders, now 19, could face confinement with the Ohio Department of Youth Services until the age of 21 and a $2,000 fine. He also could receive an additional one to three years on the weapon specification.

If convicted of the same charge as an adult, he could face life in prison and a $25,000 fine plus a mandatory three years for using a weapon during commission of the crime.

Sentencing differences also exist for all other charges, according to the judge.

Mercer County Assistant Prosecutor Andy Hinders filed a motion March 27 to transfer the case to adult court, pointing out the defendant's age at the time of the category one offense and belief that probable cause exits regarding his commission of the crime make transfer mandatory.

Sanders will remain incarcerated at the local jail on a $1 million cash bond. He was brought from the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City early Wednesday morning.

Heavy security was in place from the time he left the jail bound for the courthouse until he was returned. People granted access to the courtroom had to pass through a metal detector. No members of the Grube family were present.

The Grubes were found bound with duct tape and shot to death in the living room of their home. The perpetrators, believed to be at least one man and one woman, reportedly ransacked the interior of the home. Investigators believe the victims were targeted and not chosen at random, but have not released details.