Victim’s daughter speaks out after ‘Railroad spike murderer’ gets new trial

XENIA — Changes are happening in a case that was long thought to be closed decades ago.

As reported on News Center 7 at 6, the man convicted of killing 18-year-old Amanda Maher with a railroad spike is now getting a new trial.

Maher died in Xenia in 1988.

David Lee Myer was arrested the next day but not convicted and sentenced to death until 1996.

Myer was the last person seen with Maher, walking away from a Xenia bar.

A police officer saw the two walking toward Home Avenue, 300 yards away from where she was found.

Now Maher’s daughter, Sarah Sparkman, is trying to deal with the emotions the decades-old case is bringing up about a mother she didn’t get to meet.

“I never thought I would be here, this is weird, we’ve got a man in prison, his family is probably the most hopeful they’ve ever been in 36 years, I feel the most lost I’ve ever felt in 36 years,” Sparkman said.

She never knew her mother, she only has a few pictures and newspaper clippings.

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She was just 8 months old when her mother was killed.

“It’s hard right? It is hard. People say I look just like her,” Sparkman said.

She said it is hard to believe she has now lived twice as long as her mother.

The Greene County Prosectutor’s Office said they are working on an appeal to the decision to grant Myer a new trial.

News Center 7 will continue to update this story.

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