Saving Stacy: The Untold Story of the Moody Massacre

by Rob St. Clair

Stacy was shot in the face – twice – and left to die. The first time the killer thought he had succeeded, and he left Stacy bleeding in her bed. But a few minutes later he must have heard her moaning and returned to her upstairs bedroom. This time he approached the bed, pointed a .22 caliber rifle at her young face, and pulled the trigger again. Then he left.Later that morning, Memorial Day, May 25, 2005, the Logan County Sheriff would declare it a rampage. According to Sheriff Henry, 18-year-old Scott Moody lived on a family farm with his mother and sister; his grandparents lived nearby. The night before his high school graduation something snapped, and Scott went on a shooting spree. He murdered his two grandparents, his mother, a high school classmate who had spent the night after a graduation party, his girlfriend, and then he turned the rifle on himself, committing suicide. He thought he had killed his 15-year-old sister, but she was life-flighted to a hospital in Columbus where she remained in critical condition. Sheriff Henry declared the mystery “It was horribly tragic, a murder/suicide case.”Three days later, Stacy woke up in intensive care. When asked by the county coroner to explain what happened – clearly expecting her to say that her brother, Scott, had shot her – Stacy, in a weak, distressed voice said something else. It was an older man with gray hair, wearing a blue shirt, someone she had never seen before. And then, once again – what everyone suspected but were afraid to publicly talk about – was the Logan County Sheriff’s Office really corrupt?After Stacy was released from the hospital, Detective Jon Stout wanted to interview her in private, away from the influence of her father and stepmother. On a Sunday afternoon he took 15-year-old Stacy in his unmarked cruiser to a shaded parking lot behind the county children services building. It was there he coerced her into taking off her clothes, playfully handcuffing her to the steering wheel, and then forcibly having sex with her. It was only a matter of time before wrongful death actions were filed against Scott’s estate. That’s when Scott’s father, wanting to remove the stigma of his son’s reputation, hired outside experts, who easily refuted the idea that Scott had been the shooter. People in the community knew all along what had happened. The sheriff’s office was corrupt. Underage sex and illicit drugs had finally raised their ugly heads.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2019

About the author

Rob St. Clair practiced law in Columbus, Ohio, for more than thirty-five years, limiting his practice to probate litigation. St. Clair is a Vietnam veteran and a retired colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves. He currently lives in Columbus, Georgia, where he teaches military history. He also enjoys traveling overseas to foreign battlefields, photographing today's landscape, and writing articles about his trips for military publications. As a travelogue photographer, his photographs have won numerous awards and have appeared in various publications.

Reviews

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up thanks to the setting being in my husband’s hometown. As I read, there were all too many names that I knew and sadly, even without a name, I knew the who and where, when I read the situation. You have to love small town America, right?

Oy. This was a read that left me questioning everything and everyone. I’m sure this was the author’s strategy and it 💯 worked. So here’s my thoughts on what I read:

1. Did Scott murder his family, then commit suicide by shooting himself twice in the head? To that my answer is 💯 NO. I do not believe he committed this massacre. And my opinion is not only based on what I’ve read in this book but the countless other articles/podcasts/documentaries that I’ve read/listened/watched since I started this book. I honestly believe that Scott didn’t do it. I actually believe that he couldn’t have done it. Alright, humor me here with this; I’ve been a hunter since I was 7. I’ve hunted and killed deer, rabbits, squirrels - you name it - I killed it. With that said, I would’ve never known the correct way to kill a person with a 22. Who uses a 22? I’d have grabbed a 20 gauge rifle, a 22 wouldn’t have even hit my radar as a gun to use. But really, think about it. I’ve hunted all my life pretty much. Yet, I had no clue where a kill shot was with a 22 and I’m sure Scott wouldn’t have known either. Who in the world would know that, unless you’re a hired killer or a “fixer” as the book dubs. And my list goes on! Why does Scott have clean socks in the picture after he supposedly walked a mile to his grandparents to murder them before slaughtering all who sleep in his own house (how does one manage clean socks? I can’t manage clean socks and I work in an office!) Next, why does it appear his body has been dragged down the bed to a seated position? Lastly, how does one shoot themselves twice in the head - mind you the gun stays positioned perfectly in position (yes, albeit not impossible but improbable as the book states.) My list for this goes on, but you need to read it yourself then we’ll discuss and hash out our differences in opinion if we have any.

2. Is Jon Stout guilty of all the crimes and statements of crimes? To that question I actually waver on my opinion. This is to my many friends/and family members dismay. Yes, I know what your thinking, “really? It was black and white. Why can’t you just cross all the T’s and dot the I’s?.” But I’ve learned in life nothing is ever that cut and dry. I think there’s some truth and some fiction thrown in to this story. I will say without a doubt, I know that Jon Stout is absolutely guilty of many of the things he was accused of but what the guilty list actually entails, well friends, only the good lord above knows that answer.

3. Is Logan County Sheriff Department corrupt? My answer: good gravy, holy baby Jesus - I hope not! Yet this read makes you wonder and question just who the good and bad guys are. It makes you question the fact that if you can’t trust the guy behind the badge, who can you trust? Now, know I say that jokingly. I’m a supporter of law enforcement, I have many friends who wear the uniform so don’t twist my words. I guess I just think in every bushel of eggs you’re gonna have one rotten one, right? Yet, you don’t throw out the whole bushel of eggs because of one bad egg, am I right? The answer is, absolutely not. Each person is an individual to which possess free will. Always remember my egg statement and always remember that no one in life should be defined by a title, a uniform, a race, a sex, nor one’s sexual preference (my list goes on.) Ok, no need to worry, I’m jumping off my soapbox now; however, those are words we all should live by. We’re all the same on the inside when we’re cut open, yes we’ve all been created a bit differently and look a bit different, act a bit different, but on the inside- were all the same. The thing to remember is we’re all human, we’re all given free will to make good choices or bad choices. We can thank the man upstairs for that gift.

And yes friends, I’m stopping at 3 points. And yes, I know I’m not giving you the full story, nor should I! That’s why it’s a book, you must read it for yourself. You must develop your own opinion. However, in my opinion, I’m dubbing this a must read for all my true crime reading friends and friends who live in this rural area. It’s 💯 5stars and I can say for a fact - the majority of the book is 💯factual. The remaining tid bits, I leave up to you, the reader to determine what you think is fact and what, if anything in this read is fiction.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Stacy was shot in the face – twice – and left to die. The first time the killer thought he had succeeded, and he left 15-year-old Stacy bleeding in her bed. But a few minutes later he must have heard her moaning and returned to her upstairs bedroom. This time he approached the bed, pointed a .22 caliber rifle at her young face, and pulled the trigger again. Later that morning, Memorial Day, May 25, 2005, the Logan County Sheriff would declare it a rampage. According to Sheriff Henry, the night before his high school graduation 18-year-old Scott Moody went on a shooting spree. He murdered his two grandparents, his mother, a high school classmate, his girlfriend, and then he turned the rifle on himself, committing suicide. Stacy would survive. Three days later, she woke up in intensive care. When asked by the county coroner to explain what happened – clearly expecting her to say that her brother, Scott, had shot her – Stacy, in a weak, distressed voice said something else. It was an older man with gray hair, wearing a blue shirt, someone she had never seen before. It was only a matter of time before wrongful death actions would be filed against Scott’s estate. That’s when Scott’s father, wanting to remove the stigma that his son was the shooter, hired outside experts to successfully refute the idea. People in the community knew all along what had happened. The sheriff’s office was corrupt. Underage sex and illicit drugs had finally raised their ugly heads."

You get the idea. It’s a true story, filled with intrigue as to who was the actual gunman, one of the cases I handled when I practiced law in Ohio. Buy a copy; you’ll be helping to support my grandkids’ college education.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now this was a story I had never heard of (it's getting harder to find these as a true-crime buff) before I listened to a podcast called "True Crime Garage" where they talked about not only this case but this book too.

As interesting as this story is, and I tend to agree with the author's conclusion; I believe this book could have been a bit shorter as much of the info was repeated over and over again throughout. Though, I am very grateful that someone wrote a book about this tragedy.

The most frustrating thing about this case, besides how law enforcement concluded it, was the fact that Stout didn't get hardly any punishment for his actions (not murder so this isn't a spoiler). I certainly hope his superiors in his new law enforcement job are keeping a close eye on this guy as he seems to be a predator and those guys don't stop.

[Mary Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Great in depth review of horrifying, tragic event due to dishonest and corrupt law enforcement community in rural America.
Breathtaking analysis.

[Stephanie (TheBookishBoyMom) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to enjoy this story since it’s based on true crime events that took place in my home state of Ohio. However, I felt like this book was a bit unorganized and seemed to repeat the same “facts” over and over.

I do believe that Moody is innocent, which is the same POV as the author.

[Jaélyn Cochenour · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn the details of this horrible tragedy. I’d only add more detailed theories of what the author thinks happened (although you can draw the conclusions yourself). I’m truly disgusted by the facts of this story but glad to know the details now as I’m from this county and didn’t know much about what happened.

[Angel Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being from the area in this book we've heard so much on this case. I am just shocked I never knew all this was going on behind the scene

[Vicki Owen Burns Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stay away from Logan County, Ohio.

[Brooke Bahr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got around to reading a book that took up a lunch room conversation at school!

[Amanda Mees · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel for the victim and her family, but running peoples names through the mud is NOT necessary!!! There are things in this book that are NOT related to the case and should NOT be in the book!!!!

[LORI LYTLE · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moody Massacre

Fascinating..didn't want it to end! But dang, Who is the killer? I couldn't wait to find out who the gray haired man was. Definitely going to share with friends.

[Lorie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm puzzled

by this story. It gave near irrefutable evidence that Scott did not commit these crimes, that there was a mysterious "fixer" and led the reader to believe answers were forthcoming and yet, it ended with more questions than answers. Who committed these crimes, why did it happen?
The corruption of the Sheriff's office, it's deputies, appear without question to be guilty of much, but why were these crimes not properly investigated? I'm at a loss, I don't believe Scott did it either. I feel the most sympathy for Scott's father and step-mother, to go through what they did and still deal with lawsuits.
I can't believe the state didn't intervene, an FBI person was quoted, why weren't agencies brought in to clean up the law there and find the real killer or killers. It's hard to believe in this day and age there could be so much corruption. And lack of investigation and closure. I'm stunned.

[Elizabeth Westra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story

Much of this story was very interesting and exciting, but later in the story it became bogged down in details. I didn't find every detail of the love lives of all the family especially interesting, not did I enjoy the lengthy court trials.

[Dustin Leasure · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am born and raised in Bellefontaine, Ohio and know virtually everyone in the book. I went to High School with Detective Stout, he was a few years older in school than me. I can tell you, he is a shady, lying, deceiving guy. The whole community knows he was having a relationship with Stacy before the massacre. And no one will ever convince me that Scott shot himself twice in the head...with a rifle and the first shot was not up against his head. Jon Stout is a murderer.

[Kathi Hoops · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still so many questions

I grew up in logan county , I think there is many unanswered questions , do I think Scott killed them nope do not , do I know of some of the things in this book sure do ! I wish the best for Stacy was very glad to read she has found happiness!

[Amy Wright · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this book because I'm from the area where this tragedy took place. This book is poorly written and disorganized. I found passages kept repeating themselves and I'd be left thinking, "Wait! Didn't I already read this?". Sadly, I ended up DNFing this book.

[LFAMES · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing

It is next to unfathomable that a murder/suicide case such as this turn out the way this case did. You wish this weren't true, but unfortunately, it is.

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, this book is pretty well written. I'm from Ohio and familiar with the area and investigations so for the most part I give this book a 3.5. The only reason I don't give it a full 4 is bc when I read, I like endings that are wrapped up nicely. This isn't but it isn't really the fault of the author. I did see one date typo but that is irrelevant. My biggest complaint is everyone, including the author, says Scott can't be the shooter because he was shot twice. Almost like he couldn't shoot himself once and still live to shoot himself again. This is crap, not all gun suicides are successful. Just because your shot, doesn't mean your dead. I mean Stacy was shot twice and lived. So that argument has no ground. Also, the argument about the silencer. Come on... you're telling me a killer stopped to remove the silencer after shooting Stacy? No.. the 2 shots she heard were Scott killing himself in my opinion. Now, the shocking unprofessionalism of this agency is profound. BcI was involved so if there was something not investigated or pointing to someone else, it would be observed. Now, the other part that bugs me is the Chief from the other village that had questions. No offense, but that small town chief probably was not that experienced. When I read about him and found out he died at a young age unexpectedly I must say I thought that was odd. So when it mentions later jn the book that he is believed to be poisoned I could see that happening! I would love to know more about the fixer. If he is a wannabe, is he really that good to set up this scene? What about the hired hand? What about Stacy? She had bullet holes in her sweatshirt, maybe she did it all?

[Pam Koenig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, but no real conclusion. Sheriff’s department did the most inept investigation I have ever read about. The good old boy system handled a terrible crime with no regard for the truth or the facts. The evidence was mishandled, things were moved, conclusions were reached without any proper investigation. The fact that an officer was allowed to spend so much time alone with an underage victim and no one did anything about it till after was unbelievable. Too many questions were left unanswered. Why were so many shot and no one fought back? They blamed the son for the murders and said he then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head twice with a rifle. Why and how did they appear to be asleep when they were killed and no one heard the rifle shots or tried to fight back?
They never came to any conclusion on why they were all killed, where was the blood evidence, where were fingerprints done? Why was the coroner’s questions unanswered? Why even after the corruption was addressed, was the case not reopened? Years have passed, the only survivor is grown and married and still doesn’t know why her mother, brother grandparents & friends were killed and she was shot. Why hasn’t anyone with all the advancements in crime solving that now exist reopen this case and solved who did it and why. No, instead they have let a young murdered man be blamed so a crooked sheriff’s department could wipe their hands of finding the real killer.

[Cindy Zeller]

I just finished this book. EVERYONE in Logan County needs to read this book, if you want to know about our past officers. Follow the drugs and sex. So sad. I pray there are enough of the officers that are not corrupt to be able to clean up our department. As for anyone not thinking every little detail about the dirt on officers not needing to be in there, ALL of the so called dirt isn’t. Just enough to establish a pattern of behavior. And the facts that their punishment was basically a vacation

[Deb Hartley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting true story

Although I heard about this crime years ago, I have still been conflicted about Scott Moody being the perpetrator. Rob St. Clair helped me come to the condo that there was gross misconduct by the local police department. I feel there is still mire to the story than just not wanting to admit they made a mistake blaming Scott. So much corruption was in that department that I feel that there are several in that department who knows exactly what happened and possibly could also be deeply involved in the cover yo.

[Lisa Baker-Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of this story before finding this book on Kindle Unlimited. I enjoy learning about true crime. This book was full of facts & even has some crime scene photos! The case is “solved” but lord have mercy…. Do I have questions!!!!

If you enjoy reading true crime or listening to true crime podcasts, this is a very informative book. I have started listening to some of the podcasts related to this case, and they’re all interesting.

[Mary Rodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read

I found he book interesting, but at times a little repetitive in the details. I would recommend the book which shows just how deep corruption can truly be. If you like true stories, this is a must read to simply understand how deep the corruption was in Logan County, Ohio.

[Hannah Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This actually happened the morning I graduated from high school and only 10 minutes away from my hometown. I didn't know these people personal, but I knew people that went to school with them. This is one reason why I think I found the book so interesting. However, it is a good book and will keep your interest.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Close to home, unbelievable accounts of mass murder of the Moody / Shafer family and the corrupt police of Bellefontaine, Ohio. Can’t hardly believe they got away with such a shotty “investigation” and were able to name a teen family member as the murderer. They got away with so much. Who is the “fixer?!”

[Chris Truman · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read

While this took place 20 miles from my hometown, this was my first time reading anything about it. Mr. St. Clair does an excellent job of relating the facts and stating the obvious. Highly recommend this book.

[connie karg · Rating 5 out of 5]

So who is ie was Curt "The Fixer"

Could not put the Kindle down !! I felt the book was exceptionally written,I also feel so sorry that no one will ever really be able to clear the boy's name if he is indeed not-guilty!! All so so sad!

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Everybody I know that read this book raved about it. Said they couldn't put it down. It took me over two years and I still didn't finish it. I couldn't keep up with the way it was all over the place. Maybe I will give it another go someday, but for now I will set it aside and read something else.

[Carol Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars for an excellent, captivating story. I’m disappointed that the “who done it” wasn’t resolved, I naively thought it would be.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars