Ronda Murphy appears inset against two images of dog cages at her Ohio hoarding residence (Butler County Sheriff’s Office).
An Ohio woman who previously ran a dog rescue organization that left at least 30 canines dead — and nearly 100 in deplorably dire straits — will be spending the next few years in prison, a court ruled this week.
Ronda Murphy, 60, was arrested in August 2023 after an investigation into Helping Hands for Furry Paws left her charged with 23 counts of cruelty to companion animals. An October 2023 indictment followed, resulting in 16 felony and seven misdemeanor charges. In January, she pleaded guilty to eight felonies and four misdemeanors — in exchange for the Butler County Prosecutor’s Office dropping 11 of the charges.
On Tuesday, Court of Common Pleas Judge Noah E. Powers II sentenced Murphy to 54 months behind bars — and a $16,221 fine.
For over five years, the conditions at Helping Hands — located in Madison Township — were considered suspect, the Animal Friends Human Society in nearby Hamilton told The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Finally, after numerous suspicions led to numerous complaints, a welfare check uncovered a ghastly state of affairs in July 2023.
One dog was found locked inside of a van without food or water, according to court documents obtained by the Journal-News.
Aside from housing far too many dogs, the animals were being kept in what authorities described as “horrible living conditions,” according to court documents filed in the case by prosecutor Katie Pridemore. The Butler County Sheriff’s Office added a superlative, calling the situation “the most horrible conditions they have ever seen.”
Several of the dogs had open sores and rickets “due to being kept in the dark and continuously caged,” Pridemore wrote in charging documents, noting a total of “92 dogs boarded as a result.”
Many dogs had chronic ear infections and skin conditions.
“One garage housed over 25 dogs in cages with no ventilation or air conditioning, with measured indoor temperatures of 89 degrees,” the sheriff’s office noted last summer. “Numerous animals were housed together in cages filled with urine, fecal matter, and no food or water. One cage contained a mother and eight newborn puppies.”
Animal welfare officers described the conditions as “unlivable.” Murphy kept the animals on two different properties in Ohio’s largest township — one at her home on Mosiman Road, and one at a nearby property on Eck Road.
“The odor was strong enough to burn their eyes and take away their breath,” the sheriff’s office wrote in their press release about the search. “Conditions were so horrendous that Deputy Dog Wardens had to leave the structure numerous times to catch their breath.”
Then there was the collection of death.
In five refrigerators and freezers, the remains of some 30 dogs were discovered. Recovery of the bodies, however, was limited to just 18 dogs because many had decomposed to the point of becoming liquid.
The local humane society took custody of the surviving dogs. Sentencing in the case, originally slated for early March, had been delayed since earlier this year in order for the court to determine how much Murphy owed the nonprofit, according to the Enquirer and the Journal-News.
The defendant faced a maximum sentence of roughly nine years in state prison.
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