AKRON, Ohio — Nearly eight months after he was first arrested, a Summit County grand jury has indicted Adarus Black for the 2020 murder of 18-year-old Na'Kia Crawford in Akron.
Black was in court on Thursday, Oct. 13, where he was arraigned and held on a $1 million/10% bond. He was given a trial date of Oct. 28, with a final pre-trial date of Oct. 18.
Black, 19, is believed to have fired the shots that fatally wounded Crawford as she was driving with her grandmother between West North and North Howard Streets in Akron on June 14, 2020. Black was taken into custody in Atlanta this past February following a 20-month-long manhunt.
"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."
Crawford's murder made national news, especially after NBA superstar and Akron native LeBron James called for justice on social media. Eventually, police identified three suspects, and stated they believe the shooting was a case of "mistaken identity."
Both Jaion Bivins and Janisha George were arrested on charges of obstructing justice, but Black, the alleged gunman, remained at large, and Bivins and George each had their charges dismissed last year as the case stalled (they could still be charged again). Authorities followed potential leads all over the United States before finally locating Black in Georgia, presumably under a fake name.
"This hits home for our guys that traveled to Atlanta to work this case," Marshal Anne Murphy said at the time of Black's arrest, adding that two Akron police officers were able to be in Atlanta for the arrest. "We were all relieved ... to be able to put the handcuffs on him and say 'We are finally done with this. Adarus Black is no longer free to run the streets of Akron again or Atlanta again and he's behind bars.'"
Sources have told 3News that Black, who was 17 at the time of Crawford's death, has a lengthy history in the juvenile justice system.
3News' Tyler Carey and Carmen Blackwell contributed to this report.