Machete murder suspect in court

UPPER SANDUSKY - A man who pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to a murder charge and several other felonies at a court hearing Wednesday allegedly beheaded a 22-year-old store clerk in a random act on Jan. 1. On New Year's Day, Upper Sandusky police responded to the Dollar Tree, 1120 E. Wyandot Ave., for a call of a man entering the store with a machete and attacking a woman at 4:25 p.m. Two witnesses at the store called 911, both recordings of which have been obtained by The Courier, in redacted forms. One witness describes the victim, Keris L. Riebel, 22, of Marion, on the floor, essentially decapitated. "He cut her head off," the first caller tells the 911 dispatcher. The caller describes the man as possibly of Indian ethnicity and driving a red SUV toward town. Another described the man as possibly Hispanic and wearing all black with an ax. The second caller also said he walked out of the store after allegedly hitting the cashier. "He didn't try coming after us. He didn't run out of the store. It didn't look like a real machete," the second caller said. She also described not seeing any blood but watching the subject walk in, say something to the cashier, watching the cashier fall to the ground before the man walked out of the store. When police arrived at the scene, they found the weapon and the deceased victim. Detectives investigating the Dollar Tree assault called it a random, sudden and unprovoked attack, according to Upper Sandusky Municipal Court records from Jan. 3. Bethel M. Bekele, 27, of Upper Sandusky, was approached by police after he fled the scene, surrendered and was apprehended, according to police Chief Jared Lucas. In his sworn affidavit, Lucas said Lt. Jordan Breece observed a vehicle matching witness statements of a red or maroon SUV parked in the 100 block of South Fifth Street. When Bekele saw Breece, he immediately put his hands in the air. While Breece was handcuffing Bekele, dried blood was on one of Bekele's hands. During an interview with police, Bekele waived his rights for an attorney, willingly spoke to detectives and admitted to attacking the victim. The Daily Chief Union reported Bekele was indicted by a Wyandot County grand jury on six charges in the death of Riebel: two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of murder, one count of felonious assault and one count of aggravated burglary. During the arraignment on Wednesday in the Wyandot County Common Pleas Court, Bekele, represented by court-appointed defense attorney William Kluge, pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to all six charges. Due to the seriousness of the crime, substantial risk to the community, having resided in the county for less than six months, having familial ties in North Carolina and no strong ties to Upper Sandusky or the county, Bekele was denied bond and will be detained through the end of the trial.