Newlywed, 22, stabbed to death by machete madman while working on New Year’s

2023-01-04

A newlywed who was hacked to death by a man with a machete was described as a "beautiful soul".

Keris Riebel, 22, was killed while working a shift at an Ohio branch of discount store Dollar Tree on New Year's Day, less than two months after she married the man of her dreams.

Police were called to the scene in Upper Sandusky at 4:25 pm, not long after the man charged with her murder, 27-year-old Bethel Bekele, is understood to have entered the shop.

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Cops arrived to find Riebel hacked to death and lying on the floor, while the alleged killer had already made a run for it.

Officers managed to track down the suspect, who had fled about one mile from the store, within the hour and arrested him for murder without incident.

Riebel was remembered as "sweet and kind" by friends and family, who also revealed she had been planning to start a family with her new husband, Jordan Riebel.

A GoFundMe page set up to help her widow pay for Riebel's funeral costs and therapy for the family read: "Jordan and Keris were newlyweds who had a bright future ahead of them. Anyone who met the two could see how much love and adoration they had for each other.

"Keris was a beautiful soul and anyone who met her would say how sweet and kind she was.

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"Jordan and Keris were also looking forward to having children and most recently a puppy and starting their new lives together.

"It was ripped apart from the both of them in a matter of seconds."

The GoFundMe, which has so far raised nearly $66.4k, also said Riebel had recently obtained a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources and was excited to start her career.

The newlyweds, being a young couple, had reportedly not even begun to think about life insurance by the time Riebel was murdered, leaving Riebel's new husband lumped with expensive fees on top of his grief.

Bekele allegedly entered the store, approached Riebel, and struck her repeatedly on the head with a weapon, police have said.

Investigators said they were initially called to a report of "a man waving a machete around inside the store," which they believe was made just prior to the attack.

Police Chief Jared Lucas added that after the alleged attack, Bekele drove to the nearby Wyandot County Sheriff's Office, where officers approached him and he surrendered.

Bekele had no apparent criminal record and police are now investigating whether there may have been any link between Bekele and Riebel after no obvious relationship between the pair was found.

"At this time, the motive is unclear. Detectives are currently investigating what, if any, relationship exists between the victim and suspect," the Upper Sandusky Police Department said in a Facebook post.

Bekele has been charged with one count of murder and is currently being held at Wood County jail roughly 40 miles north of Upper Sandusky.

It is unknown whether Bekele has entered a plea or not, or whether he has an attorney as of yet.

A court date has not yet been set.

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