PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Police and federal officials have made an arrest in the 2019 murder of Northeast Ohio businessman Tim Meola.
Members of the Painesville Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force apprehended the suspect Thursday. He has been identified as 20-year-old Demarco A. Jones, of Willowick, who was 17 at the time of the alleged crime.
Meola, a popular caterer and owner of Meola Catering and Guyreino's Deli in Ashtabula, was found dead inside his Mentor Avenue home in Painesville on the morning of Sept. 7, 2019, after he did not show up for work. A cause of death was never officially released, but the case was investigated as a homicide, and detectives later found Meola's stolen car in Euclid just three days later.
Jones is currently being held without bond in the Lake County Jail. Prosecutors have not indicated a possible motive in the killing, and adult court records show no prior arrests for the suspect.
Since Jones was a minor at the time of the incident, his case will be handled by the Lake County Juvenile Court, with a preliminary hearing set for Aug. 10 at 1 p.m. following a detention hearing on Friday. Officials have not said if they plan to try Jones as an adult.
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