Ronald Schackart was sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for the murder of Charla Regan
According to court documents Ronald Schackart and Charla Regan were friends. The two had met to discuss Ronald relationship issues with his wife when he would attack Charla Regan who would be sexually assaulted and murdered
Ronald Schackart would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death
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ASPC-E Rynning D/Row
RONALD D. SCHACKART 053436
PO Box 3400
Florence, AZ 85132
United States
Ronald Schackart Case
On the evening of March 8, 1984, defendant appeared at his pastor’s home and stated that he had killed a woman. He told the pastor that he intended to call the police, but first wanted to inform his mother. The two men drove to her home, where defendant disclosed what had happened. The police were then called.
When the officers arrived, they arrested defendant and read him his rights. They took him to the station where he was questioned. In a taped confession, defendant admitted that he had forced the victim to have sexual intercourse with him and thereafter killed her.
Police found the victim where defendant indicated, in a room at the Holiday Inn. Her body was under the covers on the bed. A large sock had been stuffed in her mouth with sufficient force to tear the base of her tongue. Subsequent medical examination revealed that she died of manual strangulation.
According to his confession, defendant and the victim had been friends. They intended to meet for lunch on March 8 to discuss his recent problems. Upon discharge from the army, defendant had allegedly returned home to find his wife in bed with a man. He also had been charged with sexually assaulting his wife, an accusation he denied. Defendant was out of work. He had no place to stay, having just moved from his parents’ house following an argument. In an effort to help him, the victim drove defendant to the Holiday Inn so he could rent a room.
They talked for a while in the room. Defendant claimed he became upset thinking *497 about his wife and began confusing the victim with her. He pulled a gun out and asked if she would have sex with him. She refused, so he forced her to comply at gunpoint.
The two remained in the room for several hours. When the victim appeared to be sleeping, defendant struck her on the neck with the gun butt, allegedly to knock her out. The blow, however, did not render her unconscious. Instead, she awoke and began screaming. Defendant then strangled her.
Defendant was charged with sexual assault, kidnapping, and first degree murder. Before trial, he offered to plead guilty. The trial judge rejected the plea when defendant refused to admit a sufficient factual basis for it.
Following trial, the jury convicted defendant on all counts, including first degree felony murder. It further found that he intended to kill the victim. An aggravation/mitigation hearing was held on May 3, 1985. On May 10, the court sentenced defendant to consecutive 30-year terms on each of the assault and kidnapping counts, and to death on the murder count. This appeal was filed the same day.
https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1993/cr-85-0130-ap-2.html