AKRON, Ohio — In a sharply divided vote, the Ohio Parole Board has chosen to deny parole for a man convicted of murdering an Akron mother more than three decades ago.
Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich announced Wednesday that the state had decided to keep Deonmond Gethers, 49, in prison for at least the next three years. Kolkovich's office took part in Tuesday's hearing before the full board, where representatives "voiced concerns about the risk to the community and the impact this crime had on the victim’s family."
However, the decision was as close as it could've been, with members voting 5-4 to deny Gethers parole. His next hearing will occur in 2027.
The case stems from March 1, 1993, when prosecutors say 23-year-old Ann Marie Cox was inside her Westerly Road apartment with her young daughter when she was shot several times through the window. Following her death, Gethers was identified as the shooter, and he was eventually arrested in Southern California after escaping to his mother's home.
Though Gethers was just 17 at the time of the killing, he was indicted and tried as an adult, before finally pleading guilty that August to murder and aggravated robbery. He received a life sentence, with his first eligibility for parole coming after 18 years behind bars.
"Ann Marie Cox was senselessly gunned down in front of her young daughter, whose only memory of her mother is her murder," Kolkovich said in a statement. "My office will continue to fight for victims and their families regardless of how old the case is."
