Akron, Ohio – The two Black men accused of beating White teenager,
Ethan Liming to death in the parking lot of the I Promise School are
set to face trial today. While charges for the accused have already
been reduced to involuntary manslaughter, defense attorneys allege
that Liming’s death was merely a case of “self-defense.”
At trial, Prosecutors plan to assert that DeShawn and Tyler
Stafford—who are Black—should be held criminally accountable for
the death of Liming. A Summit County jury will ultimately decide as
both Stafford brothers begin a joint trial this week. Jury selection
is set to begin Wednesday, 9/13, and opening statements and testimony
are slated for Friday, 9/15.
According to newly released court records, DeShawn and Tyler
Stafford—two brothers who only face involuntary manslaughter for
their suspected role in beating White teenager, Ethan Liming to death
last June—are preparing to claim self-defense. Records stated that
when DeShawn Stafford punched 17-year-old Ethan Liming in the face, he
was allegedly coming to the “defense” of his brother who was “fighting” with Liming.
After Liming was struck by DeShawn, media outlets claimed that he then
fell backward and “hit his head” on the pavement. Liming was then
knocked unconscious and ultimately died from his injuries as a result
of a freak accident occurring during the fight.
The narrative, while seemingly convenient for the defense, appears to contradict early reporting which portrayed Liming as a peacekeeper
trying to stop a fight between the Black adults and his teenage
friends. Other key evidence appears to also be ignored—such as a
broken collarbone and footprints stomped onto Liming’s chest wall.
The autopsy report, which has never been fully published aside from
small previews, alleges brutality at the hands of the Stafford
brothers long after Ethan had been knocked unconscious.
“We’re pretty confident—once the jurors hear all the
facts—they will not have a choice but to realize this tragedy was
brought on by the actions of the victim and his friends,” said
Stafford’s Attorney Jon Sinn. “I’m confident—once all the
facts are heard—all these boys will be going home,” he said.
Originally facing murder for the killing, both Black suspects were
ultimately indicted with far lesser charges by a grand jury. As a
result, DeShawn Stafford is now only charged with two counts of
involuntary manslaughter, first and third-degree felonies. He also
faces a single count of aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony,
and assault, a first-degree misdemeanor. His brother, Tyler, is
charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault.
If convicted, DeShawn Stafford faces an underwhelming maximum of 11
years behind bars for the death of Ethan Liming, while Tyler Stafford
faces even less, a maximum of 3. While awaiting trial, DeShawn
Stafford was reported to have been rearrested for continuously
violating the terms of his house arrest to go to places like Burger
King and a friend’s home in Cleveland. Donovan Jones, a third
suspect and cousin to the Stafford’s, pled guilty to two
misdemeanors and received only a reduced jail sentence. He now walks
free.
The much more sufficient charges of Murder were dropped almost one
year ago after a jury—presided by Republican Summit County Court
judge Tammy O’Brien—opted to indict on lesser charges. Brad
Gessner, chief counsel for the Summit County Prosecutors Office,
alleged that “additional information” came to light during the
grand trial hearing that “impacted the decisions” of the jury.
When asked what exactly that “information” was, Gessner infamously stated, “Those aren’t facts that can be made public.”
“At this point, we have been focused on the acts that led to
Ethan’s death and those who committed the offenses,” said Gessner
in an interview. He went on to reveal that Liming’s friends—two
Black and one White—who were present at the time of his death, were
all juveniles. Despite their alleged role in instigating the fight,
they avoided criminal charges.
While the Defense is alleged to have been “pleased” over the
lesser charges, the family of Ethan Liming—most notably his father,
Bill Liming—were outraged. In an exclusive interview with News 5
Cleveland, Bill Liming broke his silence on the matter, feeling
“naive” that he once placed his whole-hearted trust in the
American criminal justice system. In the interview, Bill stated that
he believed race was indeed a factor in his son’s killing.
“I naively believed that once the people who murdered my son were
caught that the justice system would simply handle things,” said
Bill Liming. “We’ve said all along we were confident when the
facts of the case were presented that Ethan would receive justice.”
“The people who have the power to stand up for my son are not doing
it, so it’s up to me as a father to speak for my son who cannot
speak for himself,” he continued.
For some, the apparent set of “double standards” set in place for
White citizens became far too obvious to ignore. No more justified in
its anger was the pro-White advocacy organization, the National
Justice Party (NJP). Upset at the lack of hate crime charges issued to
the three suspects by Summit County prosecutors, and outraged at
clear-cut evidence that suggested Liming’s death was racially
motivated, NJP personalities quickly championed the Liming case when
no one else seemed to emerge. Since then, Supporters and volunteer
activists have marched twice in the streets of Akron, predating even
Bill Liming’s own opposition to the system and its failures.
“The medical examiner’s report claiming Ethan Liming died from a
fall is fraudulent and corrupt. It is a political report, not a
scientific one,” said NJP Chairman Mike Peinovich, on his personal Telegram. “The state and media are collaborating to cover up the
cause of death and excuse his black killers.”
“Saying Liming died from a fall is like saying the red SUV is what
killed the people in Waukesha. Why did he fall? How was the red SUV
propelled through a crowd of people?” He continued.
Since Liming’s death, multiple narratives have emerged from
institutional media sources, which have appeared to downplay the Black men’s involvement in Liming’s death, and instead, shift blame onto
other factors. In October of 2022, the Akron Beacon Journal obtained Liming’s full autopsy report after journalists threatened
authorities with legal action. They then published snippets of it in a follow-up article that went on to—outrageously—blame Ethan for his
own death and seemingly run cover for all three Black suspects.
In the article, journalists went on to attack the National Justice
Party and its mission of pro-White advocacy, by linking to scurrilous
sources from the controversial Jewish power organization, the
Anti-Defamation League. Additionally, they reported that a trace
amount of marijuana was allegedly found in a urine sample taken during
the autopsy and quoted defense attornies who alleged that a small
amount of marijuana, as well as a scale, was discovered in the car
Liming and his friends were driving.
For many, the mere mention of recreational drugs came across as a
scurrilous attempt to sour public opinion of Liming who was well
regarded by friends, family, and peers as a talented athlete and high
school student. To this day, it is unclear who owned the marijuana,
and Liming’s connection to the material could not be verified.
The Akron Police Department has come out with its own unique takes on Liming’s death as well, all of which fail to place any significant
blame on his alleged attackers. Instead, outgoing Akron Police Chief
Steve Mylett spun a narrative involving a “Splatrball” water gun
toy, which up to two of Liming’s friends may have discharged before
the fight ensued. While he ultimately said that Liming did not deserve
to die for what amounted to a prank, he warned residents to be wary of
social media youth “challenges” and the dangers they could bring.
“At the conclusion of it, Ethan Liming is dead,” he said in a
press conference last year. “Ethan Liming did not deserve to die
that night at that point based on what we know now.”
The controversial handling of the Liming case, as well as a series of
fiery BLM riots erupting over the shooting death of Jayland Walker,
may have contributed to a recent decision by Mylett to retire from law enforcement at the end of the year. According to reports, the seasoned
police chief—who has worked in multiple states before arriving in Akron—is set to depart from his position on January 1st and begin
work at a yet-to-be-announced private sector position.
Instances of White people falling prey to exceedingly violent Black
criminals have become a perennial issue in the state of Ohio. In
Norton, a Black man and repeat criminal offender was arrested for the
brutal “road rage killing” of a White driver along Interstate 76.
A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request submitted by the Justice
Report revealed a prolific history of prison violence and pattern of misbehavior. In June, exactly one year after Liming’s death, another
Black man was charged with abusing the corpse of a teenage White girl
who may have run away from home. The results of that FOIA request
revealed that the suspect was convicted numerous times and had a
whopping 309-page criminal history in Ohio State prisons.
Have a story? Please forward any tips or leads to the editors at justicereporttips@proton.me
<https://justicereport.news/articles/2023/09/13/trial-begins-for-two-bl ack-men-charged-with-beating-death-of-white-teenager-ethan-liming/>
D. Ray <d@ray> wrote in
<https://justicereport.news/articles/2023/09/13/trial-begins-for-two-bl
ack-men-charged-with-beating-death-of-white-teenager-ethan-liming/>
Take them to jail on the end of a rope behind a pickup truck. The long
way.
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