STARK COUNTY, Ohio — As Domestic Violence Awareness Month is recognized, the family of Rebecca Kerr is speaking out once again after the family said the Ohio Parole Board recently voted 5 to 1 to recommend the release of Kerr’s killer.
“There’s no way with as brutal as that murder was and premeditated, this guy should ever see the light of day,” said Rebecca’s brother, Joe Kerr.
With this recent development, Joe told News 5 he’s not going to stop fighting and even has the community rallying behind him to sign a petition during Wednesday’s ‘Take Back the Night Event in Canton, which Julie Donant said is a survivor-focused event to raise awareness for sexual assault and domestic violence.
“Unfortunately, people die still too often, and we want to make sure that we raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault,” said Julie Donant, the CEO Of Domestic Violence Project, Inc.
On February 15, 1980, Lincoln Mabry Jr. shot Rebecca Kerr multiple times near the intersection of Perry Drive Southwest and Southway Street Southwest in Perry Township.
Rebecca’s daughter told News 5 this past July that Mabry murdered her mom in front of her when she was just 8 years old.
RELATED: 'This is what she deserves': Family of Rebecca Kerr fights to keep her murderer behind bars
“It was a horrible, heinous crime that he committed and none of us had a chance to change anything,” said Melissa Binius during an interview this past July.
Joe Kerr said Mabry was denied parole twice in 2017 and in 2022 after a judge sentenced him 15 years to life.
But after Mabry’s hearing in July, an August Parole Board meeting report we obtained from our partners at the Akron Beacon Journal said:
"The board finds that incarcerated adult Mabry Jr. has served a sufficient portion of his (life) sentence, has completed programming to abate his risk to re-offend and has a supportive release plan thereby rendering him suitable for release onto parole supervision at this time.”
“As draining as it is, I won’t stop,” said Joe Kerr. “He abducted my sister and her eight-year-old daughter and then he killed my sister.”
News 5 also reached out to Stark County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Stone’s office, and we have yet to hear back.
However, Kerr said he expects their support after he said the family has now filed an appeal and requested a full board hearing sometime next year.
“Please do the right thing and keep him until he dies in prison,” said Kerr.
