AKRON, Ohio — The verdict is in.
Jurors have found Adarus Black guilty of murder in the killing of 18-year-old Na'Kia Crawford, who was shot to death more than two years ago in Akron. The decision came less than a week after the trial began.
Black was captured in Atlanta earlier this year on Feb. 8 after a 20-month manhunt in connection with the June 14, 2020, shooting. Authorities say Crawford was driving home with her grandmother after visiting a bank when she was shot while sitting in her vehicle near West North and North Howard streets. She later died at Akron City Hospital.
Akron native LeBron James brought national attention to the case, calling for justice on social media in the days after the incident. "Somebody know something for sure," he posted with the hashtag "#JUSTICE4Nakia".
"I feel like a little justice has been served, but it's not going to bring my niece back," Crawford's aunt Devon Rivers told 3News at the time of Black's arrest. "She was smart, outgoing, she was just a lovely person."
Black was 17 at the time of the deadly shooting, but was eventually charged and tried as an adult and now faces up to life in prison. Court records show his 20th birthday is Nov. 9.