Posted on October 20, 2022

Akron Man Arrested in Ethan Liming Slaying Gets Suspended Jail Sentence for Lesser Charges

Stephanie Warsmith, Akron Beacon Journal, October 19, 2022

One of the three men arrested in the slaying of Ethan Liming pleaded no contest Wednesday and was found guilty of assault.

Ethan Liming

Ethan Liming

Donovon Jones, the only of the trio charged who faced solely misdemeanor charges, pleaded no contest to two counts of assault, which is a first-degree misdemeanor.

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Summit County Common Pleas Judge Tammy O’Brien immediately gave Jones a 180-day suspended jail sentence.

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Tyler Stafford and Deshawn Stafford, brothers who face involuntary manslaughter and other charges in Liming’s death outside Akron’s I Promise School earlier this year, still have cases pending in O’Brien’s court. {snip}

Liming and three high school friends drove to the IPromise School in Akron’s West Hill neighborhood after dark June 2 with two gel pellet toy guns {snip}

They say Liming’s group ambushed a group of young men playing basketball there, spraying them with scores of gel pellets.

The basketball players initially tried to run but then turned to confront Liming and his friends. Liming fell in the parking lot, hitting his head on the asphalt in a blow that proved fatal {snip}

Jones and the Stafford brothers were initially charged with murder.

A Summit County grand jury, though, in July opted to indict all three on lesser charges.

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However, defense attorneys for the three men argued they shouldn’t have been charged because they were defending themselves.

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