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Columbus Woman Pleads Guilty to Killing Four Men in Fentanyl Overdose Scheme

A multi-agency probe linked her robbery scheme to four fentanyl overdose deaths in northeast Columbus.

Overview

  • Rebecca Auborn pleaded guilty on Dec. 19 to four counts of murder and one count of felonious assault under a deal that dropped most of her original indictment.
  • Sentencing is set for Feb. 20, 2026, with prosecutors and prior reports indicating potential exposure up to 69 years to life in prison.
  • Investigators say she met men for sex, covertly dosed them to facilitate thefts, and was tied to fatal overdoses between January and June 2023, plus a nonfatal attempt in December 2022.
  • Officials identified the victims as Joseph Crumpler, 30; Robert Snoke, 54; Wayne Akin, 64; and Guy Renda Jr., 42.
  • The case was investigated by the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force with BCI and Columbus police, and the state attorney general previously described Auborn as a serial killer.