Rebecca Auborn, a 36-year-old woman from Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty to killing four men on December 19. She was admitted to four counts of murder and one count of felonious assault in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. For the families of the victims, this moment brings long-awaited closure after years of waiting for justice.
Auborn had been called an Ohio “serial killer” by officials. According to People, her sentencing is scheduled for February 20, 2026, where she could face up to 69 years to life in prison. One family member of victim Wayne Akin said, “I’ve spent two years preparing for the worst, and now it’s almost over. The grieving process can finally begin.”
Auborn was charged in October 2023 for crimes that happened between January and June of that year. She met men for sex in northeast Columbus, then drugged them to rob them while they were unconscious. Four men died from overdoses during these incidents, and one man survived an attempted overdose in December 2022.
The serial killer label fits this disturbing pattern
The four men Auborn killed were Wayne Akin, 64, Robert Snoke, 54, Joseph Crumpler, 30, and Guy Renda Jr., 42. The victims ranged widely in age, making the crimes feel random and deeply unsettling. Each incident followed the same method, with Auborn using drugs to incapacitate the men before robbing them.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost called Auborn a “serial killer” because she committed multiple killings separated by time with the same method. Serial killers often have distinct patterns, similar to Herbert Baumeister’s horrifying crimes in Indiana. The Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case and found overwhelming evidence against her.
Their work, along with help from the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Columbus Division of Police, built an airtight case. Sometimes warning signs appear early in killers’ lives, but they often go unnoticed until after tragic events occur. Yost released a statement praising law enforcement for their work on this difficult case.
He said the investigation was thorough and the evidence was convincing, leaving no doubt about the outcome. The guilty plea closes this chapter and brings legal certainty to the victims’ families. The man who survived the December 2022 attack was lucky to escape just one month before Auborn began the deadly string of incidents in 2023.
His survival helped investigators connect the pattern of crimes. Now that Auborn has pleaded guilty, the families can begin the long process of healing and moving forward with their lives.
Published: Dec 25, 2025 08:18 am