--- title: "Tyrone Noling asks Ohio Parole Board for pardon after 30 years on death row" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/tyrone-noling-asks-ohio-parole-board-for-pardon-after-30-years-on-death-row" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/tyrone-noling-asks-ohio-parole-board-for-pardon-after-30-years-on-death-row" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/tyrone-noling-asks-ohio-parole-board-for-pardon-after-30-years-on-death-row.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/tyrone-noling-asks-ohio-parole-board-for-pardon-after-30-years-on-death-row" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-08-18T21:46:20.436Z" source_reported: "2026-08-18T20:36:24.000Z" updated: "2026-08-18T21:46:20.436Z" trust_score: 70 critic_score: 85 hype_score: 15 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-08-18T23:30:47.844222+00:00" --- # Tyrone Noling asks Ohio Parole Board for pardon after 30 years on death row *No physical evidence tied Noling to the 1990 murders of Bearnhardt and Cora Hartig, and three witnesses later recanted testimony* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 70 of 100, higher is better. Two full reports corroborate key facts; digests add no new evidence. - Craft 85 of 100, higher is better. Both full reports quote affected parties and separate fact from comment. - Hype 15 of 100, lower is better. Headlines and language are measured and proportionate. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Tyrone Noling, 54, has spent 30 years on death row for the 1990 murders of Bearnhardt and Cora Hartig in Ohio. - Noling presented new evidence to the Ohio Parole Board on 18 August 2026, including recanted witness testimony and a potential alternative suspect, Dan Wilson, who was executed in 2009. - No physical evidence tied Noling to the crime, and no murder weapon was ever found. - The Ohio Parole Board will recommend action to Governor Mike DeWine, who has called for abolishing the death penalty. Tyrone Noling, 54, appeared before the Ohio Parole Board on 18 August 2026 to request a full pardon for the 1990 murders of Bearnhardt and Cora Hartig, an elderly couple from Atwater Township, Ohio. Noling was convicted in 1996 and sentenced to death, though no physical evidence linked him to the crime and no murder weapon was ever recovered. The Hartigs, both 81, were found dead on the kitchen floor of their home on 5 April 1990. Bearnhardt Hartig had been shot three times and his wife five times with a .25-caliber automatic handgun. The house had been ransacked. Noling, who was 18 at the time, was part of a group accused of robbing elderly couples. Three teenagers initially implicated Noling but later recanted, saying police pressured them to name him as the shooter. Noling’s legal team, supported by the Ohio Innocence Project, presented evidence including recanted witness testimony, a changed stance from the former Portage County sheriff, and clues pointing to Dan Wilson, who was executed in 2009 for a separate crime. Noling’s lawyers said a witness told authorities Wilson had bragged about committing the Hartig murders. Former Sheriff Ken Howe, now 83, testified that evidence had persuaded him Noling was innocent. The Ohio Parole Board will deliberate and send a recommendation to Governor Mike DeWine within six business days. DeWine, a Republican, has called for abolishing the death penalty, saying he no longer views it as a deterrent to violent crime. Noling does not have an execution date, and his hearing was the first for an Ohio death row inmate since 2020. ## What the coverage left out None of the right-rated digests mentioned the recanted witness testimony or the lack of physical evidence tying Noling to the crime. The centre-rated digests did not include the potential alternative suspect, Dan Wilson, or the former sheriff’s changed stance. The left-rated digests omitted the detail that Noling’s hearing was the first for an Ohio death row inmate since 2020. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 50% (7) - Centre: 36% (5) - Right: 14% (2) 0 of 14 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-08-18T23:30:47.844222+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 8 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-08-19T00:00:23.511Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left - The left-rated reports led on Noling’s claim of innocence and the new evidence presented to the parole board. The Associated Press and Washington Top News, whose full reports were printed, both highlighted recanted witness testimony, the lack of physical evidence, and the potential alternative suspect, Dan Wilson. The Associated Press quoted former Sheriff Ken Howe saying, “I believe that these boys were, and are, innocent.” - The reports also noted celebrity support for Noling, including Kim Kardashian and actors Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The left-rated digests carried the same core facts: Noling’s 30 years on death row, the lack of physical evidence, and the parole board’s upcoming recommendation to Governor DeWine. ### Centre - The centre-rated digests from The Record and Winnipeg Free Press led on Noling’s 30 years on death row and his appearance before the parole board. Washington Top News, whose full report was printed, included Governor DeWine’s call to abolish the death penalty, the lack of physical evidence, and the recanted witness testimony. The report also noted that Noling’s hearing was the first for an Ohio death row inmate since 2020. ### Right - The right-rated digest from Marietta Daily Journal led on Noling’s 30 years on death row and his appearance before the parole board. It did not mention the recanted witness testimony, the lack of physical evidence, or the potential alternative suspect. **Provisional coverage gap:** right. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - mixed: 1 - high: 10 - unknown: 1 - veryHigh: 2 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [The Northern Virginia Daily](https://nvdaily.com/associated_press_national/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for/article_c81e144c-11ed-5ccf-b903-40d01e1a402c.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [Spectrum News](https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2026/08/18/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-for-pardon) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets chance at pardon - [Washington Top News](https://wtop.com/national/2026/08/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [The Toronto Star](https://thestar.com/news/world/united-states/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon/article_71da4893-52eb-5f5a-beeb-e71bbb78b244.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [The Seattle Times](https://seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [The Independent](https://independent.co.uk/news/ohio-mike-dewine-kim-kardashian-columbus-wilson-b3035244.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [Associated Press News](https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-ohio-tyrone-noling-clemency-584dca1e7060422216c84817807a0d81) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [Marietta Daily Journal](https://mdjonline.com/news/national/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for/article_e83dfe0a-4641-53af-a904-b9d533437d7a.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [Cecil Daily](https://cecildaily.com/ap/nation/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for/article_62363fc5-7241-552d-bb00-89658eddbbb0.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [Washington Times](https://washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/18/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-rare-chance-ask-parole-board) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [The Hamilton Spectator](https://thespec.com/news/world/united-states/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon/article_2d370963-1967-54fc-9626-b1e4902bf2c0.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [The Record](https://therecord.com/news/world/united-states/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon/article_828b3a4e-a2e8-559d-90fe-fa339a169de3.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [St Catharines Standard](https://stcatharinesstandard.ca/news/world/united-states/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon/article_5bde16b4-9bbe-5736-95a2-e0f03d5de47d.html) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon - [Winnipeg Free Press](https://winnipegfreepress.com/world/2026/08/18/ohio-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-gets-a-rare-chance-to-ask-parole-board-for-a-pardon) — Ohio death row inmate Tyrone Noling gets a rare chance to ask parole board for a pardon ## Questions **What evidence did Tyrone Noling present to the Ohio Parole Board?** Noling presented recanted witness testimony, a changed stance from the former Portage County sheriff, and evidence pointing to Dan Wilson, who was executed in 2009 for a separate crime. His lawyers said a witness told authorities Wilson had bragged about committing the Hartig murders. **What happens after the Ohio Parole Board makes its recommendation?** The Ohio Parole Board will send its recommendation to Governor Mike DeWine within six business days. DeWine, who has called for abolishing the death penalty, has the final say on whether Noling receives a pardon or clemency. **Why was Tyrone Noling’s hearing before the Ohio Parole Board unusual?** Death row inmates in Ohio typically do not receive clemency hearings until they have an execution date. Noling does not have one, so his hearing on 18 August 2026 was the first for an Ohio death row inmate since 2020. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/tyrone-noling-asks-ohio-parole-board-for-pardon-after-30-years-on-death-row. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Tyrone Noling asks Ohio Parole Board for pardon after 30 years on death row", https://mediabias.news/politics/tyrone-noling-asks-ohio-parole-board-for-pardon-after-30-years-on-death-row