Holly MatkinUpper Sandusky, OH – A 22-year-old newlywed working as a cashier at a Dollar Tree was viciously murdered by a man armed with a machete while she was on shift on New Year’s Day.
The horrific attack occurred at the Dollar Tree store located at 1120 East Wyandot Avenue at approximately 4:25 p.m. on Jan. 1, WBNS reported.
The Upper Sandusky Police Department (USPD) responded to the business after receiving a report that a man was “waving a weapon around inside the store,” the agency said in a press release.
When they entered the building, they discovered the body of 22-year-old Keris Riebel, who had been working at the store as a cashier that day, WBNS reported.
Investigators learned Riebel had been attacked by a man armed with a machete.
She was hit with the blade multiple times before the killer fled the scene, leaving the murder weapon behind, WBNS reported.
Investigators said there were other people inside the store at the time of the attack, according to Crawford County Now.
Police located the suspect in the 100-block of South 5th Street near the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) a short while later, WJW reported.
On New Year’s Day, Bethel Bekele entered a Dollar Tree with a machete, approached Keris Riebel while she was working, and hacked her to death. Police don’t have a motive and, for some odd reason, this isn’t a national story.
I’m posting the family’s memorial fundraiser below. pic.twitter.com/4G1ZsxVtL4
— Pedro L. Gonzalez (@emeriticus) January 2, 2023
Upper Sandusky Police Chief Jared Lucas said the alleged killer surrendered when police approached his car, according to WSYX.
He has been identified as 27-year-old Bethel Bekele.
Investigators are still working to determine whether Bekele and Riebel knew one another and said the motive for the attack is unclear, WBNS reported.
Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Dollar Tree store employee 22-year-old Keris L. Riebel was attacked & murdered w/ a machete by 27-year-old Bethel Bekele on New Year's Day. Bekele entered the store w/ a machete & struck her multiple times. Weapon found at store along with Keris's dead body. pic.twitter.com/rnDqfk7AYo
— Southern Man (@MagicBelle1) January 2, 2023
Bekele was charged with aggravated murder and may face additional charges in the near future, according to WJW.
The Wyandot County Major Crimes Unit is handling the ongoing investigation, WBNS reported.
Riebel graduated from Wynford High School in 2019 and recently obtained a bachelor’s degree in human resources, Crawford County Now reported.
She just got married in October.
Sandy Malone
