Former Morgue Worker Pleads No Contest To Corpse Abuse

CINCINNATI -- A man accused of having sex with a murder victim's body more than 20 years ago has pleaded no contest.

Kenneth Douglas made the plea in court on Thursday. A judge then found him guilty.

Douglas is accused of sexually assaulting the body of 19-year-old Karen Range, who was murdered during an attempted rape Aug. 19, 1982, at her Roselawn home.

The man who killed her, David Steffen, had stated that he didn't rape Range, and recent DNA testing showed he was not the one who sexually assaulted her.

Douglas' DNA, given after a drug conviction last year, was a match for the DNA found on Range.

Investigators said that Douglas was working as a Hamilton County morgue attendant when Range’s body had been at the lab for testing, and prosecutors said he removed her body from a refrigeration unit and sexually assaulted it.

Douglas will undergo a psychological evaluation prior to sentencing on Sept. 30. He faces a maximum of 18 months in prison.