A Bowling Green man has been indicted for the murder of Alicia Rosa, 23, and her unborn son, Amor, of Bowling Green.
Rosa was found with multiple stab wounds on March 30.
Jimmy David Cole, 30, of Bowling Green, was indicted Wednesday on three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of tampering with evidence.
Rosa was found by family at her apartment at 326 N. Main St., on the afternoon of March 30, according to Police Lt. Adam Skaff. When Bowling Green Police Division arrived on the scene, a family member was performing CPR, Skaff said.
Cole, who was in a relationship with Rosa, was identified as a person of interest in the homicide, and was arrested on March 31 in Fostoria on an outstanding warrant. Cole is being held at the Wood County Jail awaiting his arraignment before Wood County Common Pleas Judge Joel Kuhlman on April 13 at 1 p.m.
Bowling Green Police Chief Tony Hetrick and Wood County Prosecutor Paul Dobson announced the indictments this afternoon against Cole for three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault, and one count of tampering with evidence.
Rosa and her unborn child were determined to have died as a result of several stab wounds. She was reportedly in a relationship with Cole and it is believed that the child she was carrying was Cole’s, according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office.
Rosa, also known as Alicia Rosa Confer, was a 2017 graduate of Bowling Green High School, and was currently working at Daymark in Bowling Green.
Rosa’s obituary said “Alicia had a heart of gold and always saw the best in people. She was bubbly, witty, had a contagious smile and laugh that would lighten up a room. She was excited more than anything in becoming a mother to a beautiful baby boy.”
The first two counts of murder allege that Cole purposefully caused the death of Rosa and her unborn child. The third murder offense is charged “in the alternative,” meaning that, should Cole be convicted of all three, he would only be sentenced on two of the three murder charges. Count three charges Cole with causing the death of Rosa as a proximate result of committing the offense of felonious assault. Counts four and five allege that Cole caused or attempted to cause physical harm to Rosa and her unborn child by means of a deadly weapon. The final count alleges that Cole took steps to destroy or conceal evidence of his other offenses.
Each count of murder carries a penalty of life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 15 years. The felonious assault offenses carry penalties of up to eight years, and the tampering with evidence offense carries a penalty of up to three years. With certain offenses merging at sentencing, should Cole be convicted of all charges and all possible sentences run consecutively, he would face a maximum prison sentence of 33 years to life.
In a joint statement, Dobson and Hetrick said they were pleased at the progress of the case and the uneventful manner in which Cole was taken into custody. Dobson commended the members of the Detective Bureau at the Bowling Green Police Division for their diligent work in assessing the crime scene, following the investigation, and locating Cole.
“While we are just at the beginning stages of the prosecution and Mr. Cole is innocent until he is proven guilty, we are hopeful that we have taken the first steps to bring closure to Ms. Rosa’s family for this violent act,” Dobson said. “The family has asked that their desire for privacy be honored as they deal with this terrible loss.”
Dobson noted that although an indictment has been returned, the matter will continue to be investigated and the additional investigation could potentially result in additional or elevated charges.
