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Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Zanesville man sentenced to life in prison for murder of Timothy Norris

Cody Moody, a Zanesville man charged in the murder of Timothy Norris, was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday morning.

The 34-year-old previously pleaded guilty to aggravated murder with a firearm specification.

Aggravated murder is the most serious form of murder and, in this case, met the requirements of purpose, prior calculation and design.

“This case clearly establishes that this wasn’t an accident,” Prosecutor Ron Welch said.

It was an act of revenge.

“Revenge is not a defense to breaking the law, and when someone is proven to have broken the law, there are consequences,” Prosecutor Welch said.

While investigating the case, detectives learned that the defendant was in a relationship with Carlos “Ricky” Rivera, uncle of the deceased Jordan Rivera.

Jordan Rivera was at the center of a death investigation one year ago when his body was found in the shed located on the same Culbertson Road property.

Timothy Norris was convicted of failure to report a death on March 27, 2023 and sentenced to 30 days in jail.

“It is known that the Rivera family was not happy with this outcome. Specifically, Carlos Rivera’s Facebook page has several postings about Jordan Rivera and wanting justice,” Prosecutor Ron Welch said at the time of Moody’s plea.

One post includes photos of four individuals, including the victim. One post reads “You know what you did to Jordan Michael Rivera. Don’t think we are going to forget my little nephew. #JusticeForJordan. Another reads “Time is up for you 4. Get ready to ride out.”

At sentencing, Judge Mark Fleegle referenced the Facebook post, telling Moody “this was one of the four, and you went and did it.”

On June 22, Moody went to Norris’ home on Culbertson Road with the intent to kill. Moody confessed that he shot at Norris but failed to kill him. Moody left and returned a short time later to complete his mission to murder Norris.

“He had detailed information that only the killer would know,” detectives noted.

Moody admitted that he intended to kill Norris, his roommate and anyone else that he suspected had responsibility in the death of his boyfriend’s nephew.

The defendant admitted to using his phone to search for Norris’ address and using his maps app to locate the camper.

Despite Moody’s confession, it was clear through the pre-sentence investigation that he shows no remorse for murdering Norris.

“It does not excuse in any way that you took a life,” Judge Fleegle said.

For that, Judge Fleegle sentenced Moody to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 28 years.

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