AKRON, Ohio — The verdict is in.
A jury in Akron has reached their decision in the case of two brothers charged in connection with the death of 17-year-old Ethan Liming, which happened in June 2022 during an altercation outside of the I PROMISE School in Akron.
The jury's decision was announced Monday afternoon as follows:
21-year-old Deshawn Stafford
- Aggravated assault: Guilty
- Assault: Guilty
- Involuntary manslaughter (count 3): Not guilty
- Involuntary manslaughter (count 1): No verdict (mistrial declared on this count)
20-year-old Tyler Stafford
- Assault: Guilty
- Involuntary manslaughter: Not guilty
Sentencing has been set for Thursday, Oct. 26 at 1:30 p.m.
It was an emotional moment in the courtroom as the verdict was read. Ethan Liming’s family sat near family members of the Stafford brothers.
There were audible gasps as they learned that Tyler and Deshawn were found not guilty of involuntary manslaughter by assault and that the jury had reached no verdict for Deshawn’s additional charge of involuntary manslaughter by aggravated assault. Deshawn was accused of throwing the punch that knocked Ethan out.
The lack of a verdict means a mistrial on that count and the possibility that Deshawn could be tried again for involuntary manslaughter.
“What we do is we look to make sure justice is done. Justice is done for our community; justice is done for the family,” said Brad Gessner, chief counsel at the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office. “Justice is not something where people are always satisfied. So, we have to look and we have to do what’s right.
“The family has gone through something that no one should have to deal with. Again, the emotions tied to this — the loss of child — we respect their grieving on this.”
Earlier Monday, the judge had addressed the jury after indicating to the court they were having difficulty reaching a verdict on all counts.
"The process of discussion and deliberation in the jury room is necessarily slow and requires consideration and patience," the judge declared while addressing the jury around 10:30 a.m.
The judge said each juror needed to make up their own mind when determining their decision in the case.
“Each of you must decide the case for yourself, but you should do so only after a discussion and consideration of the case with your fellow jurors," the judge said. "Do not hesitate to change your opinion if you are convinced that it is wrong, however, you should not surrender honest conviction in order to be congenial or to reach a verdict solely because of the opinion of the other jurors.”
She added, “The court instructs you to return to the jury room and continue your deliberations. Consult with one another, consider each other’s views.”
You can watch that moment in the video below:
Both Stafford brothers had each initially been charged with murder, but those charges were reduced last August when a Summit County grand jury issued new indictments on lesser charges.
A third suspect charged in the case — Donovon Jones — previously pleaded no contest to two counts of misdemeanor assault and was given a suspended sentence of 180 days.
Authorities say the incident happened after Ethan and friends shot at the defendants with a SplatRBall water pellet gun on a basketball court.
“Someone jumping out and shooting machine guns at you. And everybody’s sacred and everybody runs and it’s hilarious. Except these guys don’t live in a neighborhood where that’s so funny,” defense attorney Jon Sinn said in his opening argument.
Prosecutors called it a toy gun.
“One that you can buy at the store for your kids.”
They acknowledged it was a poor choice to use the toy guns, but argued it was Deshawn who chose to confront Ethan. He and Tyler chose to assault him, they said. And Deshawn ultimately threw the punch that knocked him down.
“But oh, my Lord, what an outcome. Because of a toy gun, Ethan Liming died right there on the parking lot,” Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Jennie Shuki said in her opening statement.
The defense pushed back, arguing the Stafford’s acted out of self-defense. That the fight started only after Ethan fired several more water bead rounds at Deshawn's head.
“Actions have consequences and when you attack folks, they may defend themselves,” Sinn said.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office listed Ethan's cause of death as follows:
- Cause of death: Blunt force head injuries
- Manner of death ruled homicide: Struck head on asphalt during altercation
The report, which 3News obtained last October, says it was shortly before 11 p.m. on June 2 when emergency crews were notified of a fight in a parking lot with one person unconscious and injured. Upon their arrival, Ethan was found to be unresponsive and wasn’t breathing. He was pronounced dead at 11:05 p.m.
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s autopsy report also lists multiple blunt force injuries to various parts of Ethan’s body.
Following Monday's verdict, Sinn said he hoped prosecutors would not try his client again for involuntary manslaughter.
“I hope this verdict allows [Ethan’s family] to get some kind of closure,” Sinn added.
But there was no immediate closure for the Liming family. Loved ones were visibly upset following the verdict, or lack of it.
A family spokesperson said, “They feel victimized again. They feel their son was murdered yet again. They can’t understand why somebody who gets brutally beat by three individuals walks out with minor felonies and minor misdemeanors.
“I would like to know how you would feel if your son or your daughter was brutally murdered, and they walked away with what they walked away with right now.”
Deshawn and Tyler’s father said afterward, “This is a tragic thing that happened. I wish it would have never happened.”
"This didn’t have to go this far, and I’m pretty hurt myself," Deshawn Stafford Sr. said. "I love my kids and I just didn’t want this to happen like this."
Stafford Sr. told reporters he was happy with the verdict because, "it gives them a chance to come back home."
“It’s something that’s going to hurt our family as well as their family, and I just want them to be at peace because it's hard on all of them. Not just them; me too.”
Cleveland defense attorney Tera Coleman followed the trial closely, and told WKYC Monday evening she believed "the jury was unable to have confidence that they knew beyond a reasonable doubt what actually did — or who actually did — cause the death of Ethan Liming." She added there were some inconsistencies in evidence with eyewitnesses changing their statements on what happened that night, and that Ohio's recently enacted "Stand Your Ground" law also played a factor as a person no longer has to retreat before using deadly force in self defense.
"This was a really interesting and intriguing trial to watch from start to finish," Coleman added, "and I think it's so important to have transparency, too, into this process so we can see how this works, to see what the burden of beyond a reasonable doubt means when the prosecution charges someone with something."
