CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A convicted Cleveland street gang leader received 99 years to life behind bars after he was found guilty of murdering a man outside a Superior Avenue bar.
Julius Webster, 28, is guilty of murdering Curtis Marks in September 2013. He was also found guilty on aggravated robbery charges, various criminal gang activity and attempted tampering with evidence.
The mother of Curtis Marks spoke out during the sentencing. "To play God and take a life is unacceptable. It has truly destroyed my family." Webster did not speak during the sentencing.
An investigation revealed Webster is a leader of the Heartless Felons, a vicious gang that operates on the streets of Cleveland and other cities in Northeast Ohio, including behind bars in the Ohio prison system and various juvenile facilities.
Cuyahoga County Commons Pleas Court Judge Michael Astrab found Webster guilty of repeat violent offender charges, which added years to his sentence.
The trial was conducted under heavy security at the Justice Center. Officials said that during the trial, at least two death threats were made against Judge Astrab.
Three witnesses refused to testify because they had been threatened by the defendant or members of his gang.
One of the witnesses, Robert Porter, had already entered a guilty plea on related charges and promised to testify against Webster as part of his agreement with prosecutors.
As a result, William Hammons, another member of the Heartless Felons and an inmate at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility has been indicted for retaliation, for intimidation and for three misdemeanor counts of aggravated menacing.
Judge Astrab in 2013 sentenced Hammons to life without parole plus 100 years for the rape and murder of a 60-year-old Shaker Heights woman.
"Although Webster and his gang used fear and the threat of violence to prevent witnesses from testifying, this verdict shows you cannot intimidate your way out of criminal charges," Prosecutor McGinty said. "That makes it a victory for his victims and for the community which will be safer with him deposited deeply in the bowels of the penitentiary."
