AKRON, Ohio — A 35-year-old Akron man has been sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after 29 years for the 2018 murder of Dominique Thomas.
The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office says Bryan Esters was sentenced after a jury found Esters guilty on April 20 of the following charges:
- Two counts of murder with gun specifications
- Two counts of felonious assault with gun specifications
- One count of having weapons under disability
- One count of carrying a concealed weapon
- One count of leaving the scene of an accident
Here’s how the Summit County Prosecutor explained the incident:
On July 1, 2018, Sirvonte Rice and Andre Warren were arguing at a restaurant on Pioneer Street in Akron. Rice’s cousins, Dominique Thomas and Monica Strickland, along with Tra’Shawn Beasley, arrived to meet Rice. As Thomas and Beasley exited the car, Warren and Esters opened fire and struck Thomas three times. Esters then chased Thomas around the car and shot him four more times at point blank range in the back while Thomas was on the ground. Thomas died from the seven gunshot wounds. Beasley was shot but survived. Strickland remained in the car and was not injured.
Both Warren and Esters fled the scene in separate cars. Esters ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle while trying to get away. Warren then picked up Esters and both took off.
Warren was convicted more than three years ago on April 17, 2019. He is currently serving a life sentence with parole eligibility after serving 29 years of his sentence.
Esters remained a fugitive until he was arrested by federal officers in West Virginia in April of 2020.
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Editor's note: Video in the player above was originally published in an unrelated article on Feb. 23, 2022.
