AKRON, Ohio — A jury in Akron has found Dacarrei Kinard guilty of several charges, including voluntary manslaughter, for last year’s alleged road rage shooting death of George “Geo” Jensen on I-76 in Norton.
The verdict was read by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Kathryn Michael on Wednesday afternoon.
While jurors did find Kinard not guilty of murder, they found him guilty on two counts of voluntary manslaughter, one count of felonious assault and one count of discharging of a firearm on or near prohibited premises. A charge of improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle was dropped.
“I am pleased that jurors held Dacarrei Kinard responsible and brought justice for George Jensen’s family. This was a very difficult case and I want to thank the jurors for their service. They were thoughtful and thorough in their evaluation of this case,” said Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich.
The family of George Jensen released a statement after the verdict:
“Geo was a gentle soul who cared deeply about all living things. When Geo met his wife Allison, it was an instant connection. There have never been two people more perfectly suited for each other. They did everything together and loved each other deeply. Geo’s presence has been severely missed. He leaves behind his wife Allison, their dog Orwell, and a tight knit family, all of whom will never be the same.”
Kinard is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12.
3News streamed the verdict live, which you can watch in the player below.
The verdict came 24 hours after the two-day trial wrapped up with closing arguments Tuesday.
Kinard took the stand in his own defense during the trial, saying he felt like he was being tailgated by the other driver.
"As I am coming up passing him, he cuts me off or tries to hit me with his car and force me off the road," Kinard testified. "I was scared to death. I panicked. I lost control of the car. I went off the highway to avoid a white trailer truck."
Once he said he returned to the road, Kinard claimed the other vehicle was "coming into my lane again."
“He was matching my speed," Kinard said on the stand. "We were like window to window, door to door. I could tell he was getting closer and closer to my car. I looked over at him and I could see clear as day he was pointing a black object at me and was focusing on me, and I was scared for my life. I thought he was going to harm me. I was terrified. I took cover, went down, and grabbed my firearm and when I looked up, he was still pointing whatever he was pointing at me. I was scared and I just fired. I was scared and didn’t want him to hurt me.”
We streamed Kinard's testimony, which you can watch in the video below:
DETAILS OF THE CASE
The shooting dates back to May 17, 2023.
As 3News previously reported, police say that witnesses observed somebody inside a black Camaro firing shots at the victim's vehicle.
The driver of the Camaro allegedly fled the scene after the victim’s vehicle crashed.
Authorities have said the Camaro then re-entered the highway going westbound on I-76 and drove back past the scene of the shooting.
Kinard was arrested in Columbus in the area of 1400 Livingston Court two weeks after Jensen was shot and killed.
REACTION TO VERDICT
"Frankly, we're a little disappointed, but we are glad that we did get guilty on manslaughter," Geo's father George Jensen Sr. told 3News. "He was adamantly against guns and all of the gun violence that was going on, so its really sad that that's the way he went.
Jensen Sr. believes there is a lesson to be learned in this tragedy.
"We have to learn from this, to back off on the freeway and not get so angry, let things go," he said. "It's hard. We know a lot of this is going on."
Geo's widow also shared her heartbreak.
"I'm a widow, which means that I've gone through some of the most unimaginable pain — the loss of a husband, a friend, somebody that I spent 17 years falling in love with," Allison Kee-Jensen lamented.
3News' Anna Meyer contributed to this report.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Trial begins for Dacarrei Kinard, man accused of deadly shooting in Norton on I-76
- Bond set for suspect in deadly Norton shooting on I-76
- Suspect accused in deadly shooting on I-76 in Norton appears in court
- Insight revealed into arrest of suspect charged for fatal road rage shooting on I-76 in Norton
- Suspect arrested in Columbus for fatal road rage shooting on I-76 in Norton
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