It was just after 2 a.m. on Sunday night July 13, 2008 when Twinsburg police officer Josh Miktarian was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Glenwood Drive.
Eight years later, his killer, now 31, sits on death row at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution.
Ashford L. Thompson, then 23, had turned into the driveway of his former Glenwood Drive home off state Route 91, and Miktarian called police dispatch to report that he was making a traffic stop for loud music and pulled in behind Thompson, according to Court News Ohio..
Miktarin's police K-9 Bagio remained in the cruiser. A few minutes later, Miktarian requested backup. A dispatcher relayed that Thompson had a license to carry a concealed handgun, but Miktarian never answered, according to Court News Ohio.
With Miktarian's K-9 Bagio barking in Miktarian's locked cruiser, Thompson shot Miktarian four times in the head after Miktarian managed to get one handcuff on Thompson's wrist, according to Court News Ohio.
Moments later, a 9-1-1 caller reported popping sounds that sounded like shots fired.
When police officers arrived, Miktarian was found on the ground, with Thompson's driver's license and insurance card were in Miktarian's front shirt pocket, Court News Ohio reported.
Miktarian had been shot in the head and was flown to MetroHealth Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
Miktarian, who grew up in Tallmadge, left behind his wife, Holly, who was an Oakwood police officer at the time, and a daughter, 3-month-old Thea.
Miktarian had served with the Twinsburg Police Department for 11 years and also served as a part-time officer with the Uniontown Police Department. He was also a 1993 graduate of Tallmadge High School.
Afterwards, K-9 Bagio was retired from the police department and lived with Holly Miktarian and Thea.
Josh Miktarian was the first -- and still only -- officer killed in the line of duty in the department. On July 1, 2015, the City of Twinsburg dedicated a memorial to Miktarian outside City Hall.
After Miktarian was found shot, officers found Thompason at his sister's house, with Miktarian's handcuffs attached to one wrist. A gun was found on the stove.
Back in 2010, a Summit County jury convicted Thompson of aggravated murder with specifications that carried the death penalty, including purposely killing a police officer.
Thompson was also found guilty of escape, resisting arresting, tampering with evidence, and carrying a concealed weapon. The jury recommended a death sentence.
The death sentence was handed down by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Elinore Marsh Stormer on June 23, 2010, and Thompson has been in prison since June 25, 2010.
Thompson appealed the conviction and death sentence directly to the Ohio Supreme Court and was denied.
