Ohio Death Row Inmate Seeks Clemency After 30 Years: Tyrone Noling’s Case

Tyrone Noling has spent three decades on Ohio’s death row, asserting his innocence in the double murder of an elderly couple. On Tuesday, he presented his case for a full pardon to the Ohio Parole Board.

Noling, 54, hails from Alliance and relies on support from the Ohio Innocence Project. His clemency hearing included evidence such as recanted witness testimonies, revised opinions by a sheriff and a juror, and indications that another person, already executed for a different crime, might be the true culprit.

This case has gained national attention through documentaries and true-crime podcasts. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Hilarie Burton, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan have voiced support for Noling’s exoneration.

The hearing was the first for a death row inmate in Ohio since 2020. Following it, the parole board will make a recommendation to Governor Mike DeWine, who holds the final decision. DeWine, having called for the abolition of the death penalty in June, has shifted his stance, believing capital punishment no longer deters violent crime.

Tyrone Noling is adamant about his innocence and seeks release, rejecting the idea of a commutation to life without parole.

Noling was convicted for the April 1990 murders of Bearnhardt and Cora Hartig in Portage County. The couple, both 81, were found dead in their home. Bearnhardt was shot three times, Cora five, with a .25-caliber handgun. The scene indicated a burglary.

Authorities linked Noling, then 18, to a group allegedly targeting elderly homes. Co-defendants, aged 14 to 16, initially implicated him but later claimed police pressure led to false accusations. Although initial burglary charges were dropped in 1992, a grand jury charged him again in 1995, leading to a death sentence in 1996.

No physical evidence or murder weapon directly tied Noling to the crime. Advocates point to other suspects, including Dan Wilson, executed in 2009, who was reportedly heard boasting about the Hartig murders. Former Sheriff Ken Howe, testifying for Noling, expressed belief in his innocence, citing unresolved red flags and new evidence.

The parole board’s decision is anticipated by Aug. 25.