Ohio College Stabbing: Witness Accounts of the Hocking County Cabin Murder Case
In the early hours of April 22, 2023, what began as a birthday celebration at a cabin in Hocking County, Ohio quickly descended into tragedy. Twenty-year-old Isaac Pence transformed a heated argument into a deadly assault when he stabbed Charles Starner multiple times before fleeing the scene. Over twenty college students witnessed the horrific attack, leaving them stranded in a remote wooded area with their gravely injured friend.
The violence erupted after a night of drinking led to confrontations among the partygoers. What started as pushing and shoving escalated dramatically when Isaac retrieved a knife from his vehicle and repeatedly stabbed Charles in the neck and back. As Isaac and his girlfriend Sabra escaped into the woods, Charles's friends desperately tried to save him, but despite the efforts of Hannah, an EMS student, Charles succumbed to his injuries before paramedics could arrive. In the following days, police would work alongside the traumatized college students to track down the killer who believed he might escape justice.
Key Takeaways
A birthday celebration in rural Ohio ended in tragedy when Isaac Pence fatally stabbed Charles Starner after an altercation.
Witnesses described multiple deliberate stab wounds to the victim's neck and back, suggesting clear intent to kill rather than self-defense.
The killer fled the scene immediately after the attack, leaving authorities to piece together events through witness testimonies and blood evidence.
The Deadly Incident
Isaac Pence's Lethal Assault
On April 22, 2023, what began as a birthday celebration at a cabin in Hocking County, Ohio quickly descended into violence. The evening had been filled with drinking when tensions escalated among the group of college students. Isaac Pence found himself in the middle of an argument while his girlfriend Sabra watched from a distance.
Surveillance footage captured the initial confrontation where Isaac threw the first punch into the crowd. After being pushed back against a car, he struck again before heading toward his vehicle. When several people cornered him at his car in an attempt to make him leave, Isaac made a fatal decision.
Instead of departing, Isaac retrieved a knife from his vehicle and attacked 23-year-old Charles Starner with extreme violence. Charles received six vicious stab wounds to his neck and back as horrified onlookers watched. The attack was swift and deliberate, targeting vital areas in a manner witnesses would later describe as "very fast" and "vigorous."
Panic and Aftermath
As Charles collapsed from his wounds, his friend Hannah, an EMS student, immediately tried to provide emergency care. Despite her training, Charles's injuries proved too severe. She applied pressure to his wounds while waiting for professional help to arrive, leaving her arms completely covered in blood.
Meanwhile, Isaac and Sabra fled the scene in his car, disappearing into the woods. Charles faded in and out of consciousness as friends tried desperately to keep him alive. By the time paramedics reached the remote cabin location, it was too late - Charles had succumbed to his injuries.
Police quickly secured the scene and began interviewing witnesses, particularly focusing on Hannah and James who were covered in blood from their attempts to save Charles. Their testimonies revealed crucial details about the attack:
The altercation began inside the cabin before moving outside
Someone had mentioned a gun, heightening tensions
Isaac deliberately returned to his car to retrieve the knife
The stabbing was not defensive but appeared intentional and excessive
After fleeing, Isaac reportedly called and threatened to "come back and finish the job"
This evidence immediately indicated to investigators that they weren't dealing with self-defense, but with a deliberate killing. With Isaac now on the run, police would need to work quickly with the traumatized group of college students to locate the man who had just taken their friend's life.
Rapid Response to the Incident
The Scene of the Attack and Eyewitness Accounts
On April 22, 2023, what began as a birthday celebration at a cabin in Hocking County, Ohio quickly descended into tragedy. Outside the cabin, CCTV footage captured the initial moments of a confrontation involving Isaac Pence and several partygoers. The altercation escalated when Isaac threw punches into the crowd before being pushed back against a vehicle.
The situation took a deadly turn when Isaac retreated to his car, where he was surrounded by several individuals. When Charles Starner approached Isaac's vehicle, Isaac retrieved a knife and attacked him viciously. Charles suffered six stab wounds to critical areas including his neck and back. While this brutal assault occurred, more than 20 college students witnessed their friend being attacked.
After the stabbing, Isaac immediately fled the scene with his girlfriend Sabra, driving into the wooded area surrounding the property. Police arriving at the scene found two blood-covered witnesses, Hannah and James, who provided crucial firsthand accounts of the incident. James explained that he had attempted to intervene by kicking Isaac's car door during the attack, then pulled Charles away from the assailant.
Emergency Medical Efforts by Hannah
Hannah, an EMS student, immediately took action after Charles was stabbed. She pulled him away from the attack site to safety on the other side of a Toyota 4Runner parked nearby. Despite her training, the injuries Charles sustained were too severe for first aid to be effective.
Hannah applied consistent pressure to Charles's wounds, which explained why her arms were completely covered in blood when police arrived. She maintained this position, keeping pressure on his wounds from the moment of the attack until emergency services reached the scene.
During her police interview, Hannah described how she had initially stayed inside during the confrontation but came outside when she heard someone mention a gun. She expressed that she had a "gut feeling" something was wrong that night and came outside despite her fears because she wanted to help if anyone was injured. Tragically, despite Hannah's immediate and sustained emergency medical assistance, Charles's injuries proved fatal, and he died before paramedics could transport him to a hospital.
Investigation Begins
Questioning by Detective Summers
Detective Summers arrived at the cabin in Hocking County, Ohio promptly after receiving reports of a fatal stabbing. The scene was chaotic, with blood-soaked witnesses still in shock from the violent events that had unfolded. Summers immediately organized the witnesses, separating those who claimed to have seen the incident directly.
Two individuals, Hannah and James, stood out among the crowd due to being covered in blood. Detective Summers noted their appearance carefully - James showed smeared blood patterns consistent with someone who had helped a victim, not an attacker. Hannah's arms were completely covered in blood, suggesting she had tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
The detective set up her body camera on the dashboard to document all interviews. "Tell me what you saw, what happened, what led up to all these events," she asked calmly, creating a professional environment despite the traumatic scene surrounding them.
Eyewitness Accounts
Hannah, an EMS student, provided crucial details about the events leading to the stabbing. She described how the evening had begun normally inside the cabin until a fight broke out:
"There was this one kid at the party who kept calling me 'firefighter' because he knew about my EMS background. Someone got mad at him for talking to me, and they started fist fighting inside by the doorway."
James corroborated Hannah's account, adding that the altercation moved outside. According to James, the suspect, identified as Isaac, went to his car parked next to a Toyota 4Runner. It was at this moment that Isaac retrieved a knife and began attacking Charlie.
"I saw him start stabbing Charlie," James testified. "That's when I kicked his door to make him stumble, and then I pulled Charlie away to the other side."
When asked if anyone knew Isaac had a knife, both witnesses confirmed nobody was aware of the weapon until the stabbing began. Hannah also reported that Isaac later called and threatened to "come back and finish the job," a statement that significantly undermined any potential self-defense claim.
Analyzing the Blood Evidence
Forensic analysis of the blood patterns provided investigators with crucial information about the attack. The blood spatter on James showed smooth, smeared patterns, consistent with someone who had assisted a bleeding victim rather than perpetrated the attack.
Blood evidence revealed the following attack pattern:
Initial strike to the victim's neck
Multiple follow-up stabs to the back
Approximately 4-5 stab wounds in total
Described by Hannah as "very fast, very vigorous" movements
The forensic team determined that the nature and location of the wounds indicated intent to kill rather than self-protection. A single defensive stab might be justified in self-defense, but the multiple wounds to vital areas of Charlie's body suggested a deliberate attempt to cause fatal injury.
The blood trail from one side of the 4Runner to where Hannah had dragged Charlie helped investigators reconstruct the exact sequence of events and confirmed the witnesses' accounts. "I kept my arm around Charlie to put pressure on all his wounds," Hannah explained, accounting for why her arms were completely covered in blood.
Delving into the Tragedy
The Fatal Incident Timeline
On April 22, 2023, what should have been a celebratory gathering at a Hocking County, Ohio cabin for Dalton's 23rd birthday transformed into a horrific tragedy. CCTV footage outside the rental property captured the beginning of the confrontation among intoxicated partygoers, with Isaac and his girlfriend Sabra visible in the frame.
The situation escalated quickly when Isaac threw the first punch into the crowd. After being pushed back against a car, he struck again before heading toward his vehicle. When cornered by several individuals attempting to make him leave, Isaac retrieved a knife from his car and attacked Charles Starner, inflicting six brutal stab wounds to the neck and back.
Following the attack, Isaac fled the scene with Sabra while Charles's friend Hannah, an EMS student, attempted to save him. Despite her efforts, Charles's injuries proved fatal before paramedics could arrive. Police immediately began gathering everyone present to identify potential witnesses and suspects.
Key Moments in the Timeline:
Initial verbal altercation after a night of drinking
Isaac throwing punches into the crowd
Brief retreat to his vehicle
Being cornered by multiple partygoers
Retrieval and use of the knife against Charles
Immediate flight from the scene
Failed attempts to save Charles's life
Understanding the Perpetrator's Intentions
Witness testimonies from Hannah and James, both blood-covered from attempting to help Charles, provided crucial insights into Isaac's mindset during the attack. Hannah described seeing Isaac access his car's center console to retrieve the knife before immediately targeting Charles's neck, followed by multiple stabs to the back.
The nature of the attack—specifically the targeting of vital areas with repeated stabbing motions—strongly indicated lethal intent rather than self-defense. As Hannah testified, "he went straight for the neck" and delivered "four or five stabs" in a "very fast, very vigorous" manner.
James confirmed that nobody was aware Isaac had a knife until he began using it. After the attack, witnesses reported that Isaac called over the phone with threats to "come back and finish the job," further supporting the conclusion that his actions were deliberately aggressive rather than protective.
The testimonies revealed that:
The attack was swift and targeted vital areas
Multiple stab wounds were inflicted (approximately 4-5)
Isaac fled immediately after the attack
He later made threatening phone calls
These elements collectively suggest premeditated violence rather than a spontaneous defensive reaction to being cornered, painting a disturbing picture of Isaac's intentions during those fatal moments at the cabin.
Intent to Murder
This section examines how what initially appeared as a confrontation at a cabin party escalated into a deadly assault. The evidence reveals patterns of behavior that point toward premeditated violence rather than defensive actions.
Indicators of Deadly Intent
The attack at the Ohio cabin on April 22, 2023, shows several elements that distinguish murder from self-defense. Isaac's actions displayed clear intent beyond merely protecting himself.
The number and location of stab wounds provide crucial evidence. Charles Starner received six stab wounds, primarily to vital areas including his neck and back. This pattern suggests a deliberate attempt to cause fatal injuries rather than simply ward off an attacker.
Witness testimony reveals the attack's brutality. According to Hannah, an EMS student present at the scene:
The stabbing was executed "very fast, very vigorously"
Isaac "went straight for the neck" when attacking
Multiple wounds were inflicted in rapid succession
The attacker's behavior before and after the incident further indicates intent. Isaac:
Left the initial confrontation
Returned to his vehicle specifically to retrieve the weapon
Fled the scene immediately after the stabbing
Made threatening phone calls afterward, reportedly vowing to "come back and finish the job"
Witnesses described being fearful even before the stabbing occurred, with someone shouting "gun," creating an atmosphere of danger. This suggests the situation had already escalated beyond a typical argument.
The CCTV footage captured Isaac's aggressive behavior from the beginning, showing him throwing the first punch into the crowd before later returning with the knife. This progression demonstrates an escalating pattern of violence rather than defensive reactions.
Medical evidence supports this conclusion. The specific targeting of vulnerable areas like the neck indicates knowledge that such wounds would likely prove fatal, not merely incapacitating.
Additional Case Details
Hannah and Jimmy's Eyewitness Accounts
Hannah and Jimmy provided crucial testimony as the two primary witnesses to Charles Starner's murder. Both witnesses ended up covered in blood after the incident—Jimmy from attempting to intervene, and Hannah from using her EMS training to try saving Charles's life. The blood patterns on Jimmy appeared smeared and smooth, consistent with someone who assisted after the attack rather than perpetrated it. Hannah's arms were completely covered in blood, indicating she had applied pressure to Charles's wounds in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding.
During her interview with Detective Summers, Hannah explained she had been inside the cabin showing fire response photos from her EMS work when a fight broke out. She recalled hearing someone mention a gun, which prompted her to stay inside initially. When she finally witnessed the attack, she described Isaac's actions as "very fast, very vigorous" with approximately 4-5 stab wounds directed at Charles's neck and back—wounds clearly intended to be lethal rather than defensive.
Witnesses' Dangerous Intervention
The witnesses took significant personal risks during the incident. Jimmy described how he kicked Isaac's car door during the attack to disrupt the stabbing and then pulled Charles away to safety. Hannah, utilizing her EMS background, immediately applied pressure to Charles's wounds, staying with him until authorities arrived.
Their accounts revealed critical details about Isaac's behavior after the attack. According to Hannah, Isaac fled the scene but later called to threaten that he would "come back and finish the job"—a statement that significantly undermined any potential self-defense claim. This threatening call, made while Isaac was evading police, demonstrated his continued violent intentions even after leaving the scene.
Both witnesses expressed feeling genuine fear during the incident. Hannah specifically mentioned she was "honestly kind of scared I was going to get shot" but overcame her fear to help the injured victim, highlighting the dangerous situation all witnesses faced that night.
The Killer's Profile
Understanding Isaac's Background
Isaac Pence, 20 years old, transformed from partygoer to murderer on April 22, 2023, during what should have been a celebration at a cabin in Hocking County, Ohio. CCTV footage captured the beginning of the confrontation, showing Isaac in a verbal altercation with a group of college students. The situation escalated quickly when Isaac threw the first punch into the crowd. After being pushed back against a car, he struck again before heading toward his vehicle.
The evidence suggests Isaac's actions were calculated, not defensive. When cornered near his car, instead of attempting to leave or defuse the situation, he retrieved a knife from his center console. He then attacked Charles Starner with shocking brutality, delivering six stab wounds to Charles's neck and back in rapid succession.
Isaac's attack method—targeting vital areas multiple times—indicates lethal intent rather than self-protection. After stabbing Charles, Isaac fled the scene with his girlfriend, attempting to evade responsibility for his actions.
Family Connections and Relationships
The cabin gathering was a birthday celebration for 23-year-old Dalton Flag, who had an important connection to both the victim and perpetrator. Dalton was the brother of Sabra, Isaac's girlfriend who was present during the stabbing incident and left with him afterward.
This family connection creates a complex dynamic, as Sabra witnessed her boyfriend attack someone at her brother's birthday party. The interrogation records indicate that after fleeing the scene, Isaac attempted to conceal his actions. He later seemed to display inappropriate behavior during questioning, with reports suggesting he found aspects of the situation amusing.
Witness testimony reveals that Isaac called back to the cabin after fleeing, allegedly threatening to "come back and finish the job." This threatening behavior following the initial attack further undermines any self-defense claims and indicates a disturbing level of aggression and lack of remorse.
Final Reflections
Isaac Pence's brutal attack on Charles Starner represents a shocking case of violence that unfolded rapidly during what should have been a celebration. The events of April 22, 2023, permanently altered the lives of everyone present at the cabin in Hocking County, Ohio.
The evidence clearly indicates premeditation in Isaac's actions. After an initial altercation, he returned to his vehicle specifically to retrieve a weapon. The knife attack that followed was executed with lethal intent—multiple stab wounds to vital areas, particularly the neck and back.
Witness testimony from Hannah and James proved crucial to reconstructing the timeline. Their blood-soaked clothing told its own story, with Hannah's medical background compelling her to render aid despite the terrifying circumstances. Their immediate cooperation with Detective Summers provided essential details that contradicted any potential self-defense claim.
Key factors in this case include:
Witness count: Over 20 college students witnessed the attack
Location: Remote cabin in Ohio, far from immediate medical assistance
Wounds inflicted: Multiple stab wounds (approximately 5-6) to neck and back
Flight response: Isaac fled the scene immediately after the attack
The phone call threatening to "finish the job" further demonstrates the calculated nature of Isaac's actions. This was not a heated moment that spiraled out of control but a deliberate act of violence with tragic consequences.
Despite Isaac's attempts to evade responsibility, the collaborative efforts of traumatized students working with law enforcement ultimately ensured justice would be served for their friend Charles Starner.
