Tim Combs, co-killer of Raymond Fife, dies in prison

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Timothy A. Combs

COLUMBUS

Timothy A. Combs, who along with Danny Lee Hill was convicted of killing a 12-year old boy in Warren in 1985, has died in prison, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections says.

Combs, 50, died in Franklin County Nov. 9, the Franklin County Coroner’s Office said today. It is not known where in Franklin County, but the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections has a medical facility in Franklin County. It is believed Combs was suffering from a respiratory illness.

Combs was last incarcerated in the Grafton Correctional Institute in Lorain County.

Combs was convicted in Portage County Common Pleas Court of the Sept. 10, 1985, murder, torture, kidnapping and rape of Raymond Fife in a wooded area along Palmyra Road Southwest.

Combs was not eligible for the death penalty because he was 17 at the time of the crimes. He was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility in 2049.

Hill, 51, was sentenced to the death penalty in the case, but that penalty was overturned by a federal appeals court. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to take up an appeal filed by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Hill remains in the state prison system while the matter is considered.