ELYRIA, Ohio — A Lorain man has been sentenced to life in prison for a homicide that took place more than a year and a half ago in Elyria.
Raython Fields, 29, previously pleaded guilty to several charges including murder. On Thursday, Lorain County Common Please Judge James Miraldi ruled Fields will spend at least the next 21 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.
The incident in question occurred early on the morning of Sept. 3, 2021, when prosecutors say Fields got into an argument with a victim identified by the Chronicle-Telegram as 20-year-old Yadiel Torres. As the two argued outside a Broad Street bar, Torres tried to run away, but Fields pulled out a gun and fatally shot Torres in the head before fleeing the scene.
"Raython Fields needlessly took the victim's life, leaving his family forever without a loved one," Lorain County Prosecutor J.D. Tomlinson said in a statement. "I hope that the successful prosecution of Fields allows the victim's family to continue their healing and that it shows to the community that gun violence is unacceptable."
Court records show Fields previously served 180 days in a Youngstown jail for violating probation on weapons charges, and at the time of the murder he was also on probation in Lorain County for possessing and trafficking drugs. In connection with Torres' death, he also admitted to aggravated robbery, illegal possession of a firearm, and tampering with evidence, and if he is ever released from prison will be required to register his address with the sheriff every year for at least a decade.
According to officials, Fields is the seventh murder suspect convicted in Lorain County since 2021.