July 9, 2022
Scott Drake was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and disemboweled by Joseph Cornelius.
Scott Drake, 11, left his grandmother’s house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to ride his bike. Scott had been riding down East Ohio Street when he came into contact with.
Cornelius spoke to Scott and convinced him to follow him to a desolate field along the 800 block of East Ohio Street.
According to court documents, Cornelius had bumped into a young boy, Scott.
Scott had asked Cornelius multiple questions while he was out panhandling. Cornelius then took Scott to a remote field where he drinks beer.
Court documents state at this point Cornelius claims he gave Scott $5.00 so he could perform oral sex on him.
During the sex act, Scott said he did not like doing it, and Cornelius stopped.
Then Cornelius claimed Scott was interested in his radio and reached for it, which caused him to get angry. Cornelius then grabbed Scott, threw him on the ground, sat on his chest and stomach, and strangled him to death.
After killing him, Cornelius then placed Scott on his stomach and put his hands behind his back, trying to make it seem as if “a pedophile committed the crime.”
Cornelius left Scott’s remains in the field and went to get drinks in a nearby bar.
After having a few drinks, Cornelius went back to the field and decided he would stage the crime scene to resemble a murder he had read about which took place in Oklahoma.
Cornelius found a broken and discarded beer bottle.
Using the broken bottle, Cornelius removed Scott’s penis and testicles.
He then disemboweled Scott, using the broken bottle to cut open Scott’s stomach and chest.
According to court documents, he then “played with his organs and pulled his intestines out a little.”
He then collected evidence from the scene, which included his radio, the glass bottle, Scott’s genitals, and Scott’s pants into a plastic bag and threw it into the river from the 9th Street Bridge.
Police interviewed Cornelius multiple times, first as a witness, then as a suspect. During one of the interviews, he confessed to murdering Scott.
Police arrested Cornelius and charged him with second degree murder, aggravated indecent assault, indecent assault, kidnapping, abuse of a corpse, and two charges of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
A jury found Cornelius guilty of all counts on October 6, 2001.
On February 28, 2002, a judge sentenced Cornelius to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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