A Thompson Township woman has been indicted for voluntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of her husband following an apparent domestic dispute last October.
A Geauga County grand jury indicted Rita Greifenstein, 67, of 17748 Rock Creek Road, Lot 33, on one count of voluntary manslaughter, a first-degree felony. A firearm specification is included in the indictment, which was filed Wednesday morning in the Geauga County Court of Common Pleas.
Peter Griefenstein, 68, was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead at the scene in the Rustic Pines mobile home park on Oct. 11, 2013.
Rita told a Geauga County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher around 10:42 p.m. Oct. 11 that she shot her husband.
“He hit me with a pan. He’s on the kitchen floor. I think he’s dead,” she told the dispatcher, adding she had some lumps on her head because he allegedly hit her in the head numerous times with a pan.
She also said Peter had a history of getting physical with her.
During a press conference last October, Geauga County Sheriff Dan McClelland said the couple, who had been married for several years, reportedly had been arguing for some time throughout the evening.
“At some point, that argument turned physical,” the sheriff said Oct. 15. “The small caliber, .380 semi-automatic handgun was produced by Rita Greifenstein, a single shot was fired, striking the victim in the chest and he expired from those wounds there.”
The Geauga County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, executed a search warrant and processed the scene.
Given the evidence at hand and Rita’s statements to authorities, she was arrested and charged with voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutor Jim Flaiz did indicate there was some evidence at the scene that corroborated her claim of self-defense.
“However, like any case, once the investigation is complete, this matter will, ultimately, be presented to the Geauga County grand jury and they will determine whether probable cause exists for a felony indictment to be filed,” Flaiz said last October. “And that presentation will not be made until we have a thorough investigation of all facts and circumstances in this case.”
Rita made her initial appearance in Chardon Municipal Court on Oct. 15, 2013. Bond was set at 10 percent of $15,000. She posted it the following day.
Rita is scheduled to be arraigned at 8:30 a.m. March 7 before Judge David Fuhry.