Displaying items by tag: Life In Prison

An Akron man will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of rape, according to the Summit County Prosecutor's Office.

Back in October, Raymond Smiley pled guilty to raping his girlfriend's young daughter on two separate occassions.

Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce sentenced Smiley, who isn't eligible for parole for 20 years, on Tuesday.

See the full press release from the Prosecutor's Office below: 

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced today that Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Christine Croce sentenced Raymond Smiley, 39, of McGowan Street in Akron, to LIFE IN PRISON for raping a young girl.

On October 23, 2018 Smiley pled guilty to the following charges:

• Two Counts of Rape – Felonies of the 1st degree

Smiley admitted to raping his girlfriend’s young daughter on two separate occasions. 

“What this defendant did was horrifying. I am very grateful he will spend a significant amount of time in prison where he won’t be able to hurt innocent young girls,” said Prosecutor Walsh. “The survivor and her mother showed tremendous strength in standing up to him. My prosecutors and victim advocates did an outstanding job in getting justice.” 

Smiley will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years in prison.

Judge Croce also designated Smiley a Tier III sex offender. If he is released from prison, Smiley will have to register with the local sheriff every 90 days for the rest of his life.

Queitin Tyler, 34, of Akron has been sentenced to life in prison by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Alison McCarty for the fatal shooting of Darian Hardison outside of the Halftime Sports Pub in Akron on October 20, 2017. 

According to court documents, Tyler got into an argument with Derrick Comby outside of the Halftime, after which he went back inside the bar and got a gun from a friend, walked outside again, and fired several shots. Comby, the original target according to reports, was hit in the stomach and survived. Hardison, a friend of Comby's, was shot and killed at the scene. 

Tyler claimed self defense in the shooting, but on September 24th, was found guilty by a Summit County Common Pleas Court jury of two counts of murder with gun specifications, two counts felonious assault, and carrying a concealed weapon charge. Meanwhile, 32-year-old Le"Zonn Gervins of Akron, pled guilty back in July of 2018 to obstructing justice and is due for sentencing later in October. 

Tyler is not eligible for parole for 23 years. 

William Knight, 64, of Streetsboro was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted earlier this month in the shooting death of 24-year-old Keith Johnson of Akron. 

The following is a press release from the Summit County Prosecutor's Office: 

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced today that Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Tammy O’Brien sentenced William Knight, 64, of Lady Catherine Street in Streetsboro, to life in prison for killing 24-year-old Keith Johnson.

Knight will be eligible for parole after serving 18 years of his sentence.

On April 10, 2018, a Summit County jury found Knight guilty of the following charges:

• Two Counts of Murder, each with a Gun Specification – both Special Felonies
• Two Counts of Felonious Assault, each with a Gun Specification – felonies  of the 2^nd degree

“Mr. Knight’s decision to fire his gun forever changed the lives of two families. Today, as Keith Johnson’s mother Laquita said, justice was served. I truly hope the Johnson family finds peace as they move forward,” said Prosecutor Walsh.

In the evening of March 20, 2017, William Knight shot and killed Keith Johnson. The shooting followed a dispute over a stolen dirt bike. Earlier that day, Knight’s son-in-law noticed his dirt bike, which had been stolen in February of 2016, was for sale on a social media site. Knight, his daughter and son-in-law went to Danmead Avenue in Akron to confront Keith Johnson and recover the dirt bike. When Johnson attempted to leave the area on the bike, the son-in law grabbed the dirt bike in an attempt to stop Johnson. Johnson was able to pull away from the son-in-law, but was subsequently shot in the head by Knight. The jury rejected arguments by William Knight’s attorney that Knight was acting in self-defense and defense of his family members.

Convicted Akron rapist Roland Pyle, 52, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday, according to Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh. 

Pyle's victim came forward to a school counselor recently, alleging that Pyle raped her back in 2013 on her 11th birthday. Pyle was charged with one count of felony rape of a victim under the age of 13 and one count of gross sexual imposition, a third degree felony. 

Pyle is not eligible for parole. 

Jeffrey Conrad of Toledo has been sentenced to life in prison for the stabbing death of his ex-girlfriend, Amanda Russell.

Russell's body was found in the backyard of her Cuyahoga Falls home back in August of 2014 by her then 14-year-old daughter. Russell, who had a protection order against him, was arrested and charged with murder. A jury found him guilty of Aggravated Murder, Felonious Assault, Violating a Protection Order, and Domestic Violence. 

In addition to the life sentence, Summit County Common Pleas Court Paul Gallagher tacked on 11 years for the assault of a fellow inmate. Conrad, remorseless in court Wednesday, wore a smile as he maintained his innocence in the murder of Russell whose body was found in her backyard. Conrad was convicted by a jury back in 2015. 

Conrad made the news during the murder trial when he chose to represent himself and then, threatened to shoot other people in the courtroom. Later he decided that he didn't want to be in the courtroom any longer and removed himself, leaving no one to represent him and the defense of his case. He was in court for sentencing, and according to the Summit County Prosecutor's Office, showed no remorse and claimed his innocence while smiling with the family of Amanda Russell present.