Lawyer: Driver is a 'liar' but man's death was an accident

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By Kimball Perry, Post staff reporter

Ray Enfinger was so proud of his sweet new ride - an '87 Camaro he'd owned for less than 24 hours - that he wanted to take it out and show it off.

But when one drunk passenger, Timothy Mills, threw up in Enfinger's new joy, the Sycamore Township 18-year-old became so enraged he stopped the car, beat and kicked Mills and then ran over him.

Mills, 38, was severely injured in the June 24 incident. But when he died six weeks later as a result of his injuries, charges against Enfinger were upgraded to murder, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.

During Enfinger's Monday murder trial, prosecutors insisted Enfinger should be convicted because he purposely ran Mills down - and they pointed to a taped statement Enfinger gave police as proof.

''Ray Enfinger says before he runs Tim Mills over, 'Watch this. This is how you do it the gangster way' and proceeds to run Tim Mills over with his car,'' assistant prosecutor Michael Bachman told the jury before Hamilton County Common Pleas Court Judge David Davis.

Enfinger's lawyer says his client is a jerk but never meant to run over and kill Mills.

''My client is a liar. No doubt about it. He lied to police,'' said lawyer David Scacchetti.

He told jurors Enfinger was out that night drinking, smoking pot and showing off and beat Mills for throwing up in his new car.

''All of this conduct is reprehensible,'' he said.

But it doesn't make him a murderer, he added.

''(Enfinger) was trying to lay rubber and burns out of there after they got done beating the guy up,'' Scacchetti said.

That's when Enfinger lost control, ran over Mills - dragging Mills and leaving him fighting for his life.

[From The Cincinnati Post, 7 May 2002]