A New Year’s Day welfare check at a Copley hotel ended in tragedy when a 24-year-old woman from Erie, Pennsylvania, was found dead inside a room she had been sharing with a 29-year-old man, according to police. Days later, investigators say the same man was discovered in Akron with another 24-year-old woman who had allegedly been held and brutalized for days.
The suspect, identified by investigators as Marcus Dangelo Price, is charged with murder, rape, felonious assault, and kidnapping in connection with the Erie woman’s death. He is currently being held in the Summit County Jail on unrelated warrants while detectives continue piecing together what happened in the days leading up to the killing and the second alleged assault.
Copley police formally filed the felony charges against Price, according to News 5 Cleveland. Investigators say Price and the Erie woman had been staying in the same hotel room around the time she died. Prosecutors have not yet publicly addressed a possible motive and are waiting on additional evidence and forensic results.
Medical Examiner Rules Death a Homicide
The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that 24-year-old Shawnna Elizabeth Pasquale died "as a result of a physical assault" after she was found in a hotel room on Rothrock Loop on Jan. 1, officials said. WOIO/Cleveland 19 reported that Pasquale had moved to the Copley area about a month earlier, hoping for a fresh start, and that her family has been pressing authorities for answers. Early on, police said they did not believe the attack was random.
Second Woman Rescued in Akron
Not long after Pasquale’s death, detectives were alerted that another 24-year-old woman was missing. She was later found with Price in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood on Jan. 9, according to News 5 Cleveland. The United States Marshals Service’s Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and the Akron Police Department joined the search and assisted in locating and rescuing her.
Copley police allege the woman had been beaten and sexually assaulted over roughly 10 days. She was taken to a hospital with numerous broken bones, internal injuries, and cuts and bruises, according to investigators.
Family, Investigators Pressing for Answers
Pasquale’s relatives say she came to Copley to rebuild her life and are struggling to process how it ended so violently. In interviews described by WOIO/Cleveland 19, a sister said she could not understand “what was the motive behind taking my sister’s life,” and family members have urged anyone who knows anything to speak up. Police say they are following multiple leads as the case moves toward prosecution.
Legal Implications
Under Ohio law, murder may be charged as a purposeful killing or under a felony-murder theory when a death is the proximate result of committing certain violent felonies. Kidnapping, rape and felonious assault are among those violent felonies and carry severe penalties. The statutes are spelled out in the Ohio Revised Code, which sets the elements prosecutors must prove.
Per the Ohio Revised Code, the state can pursue multiple counts tied to underlying offenses as the criminal process unfolds. That means Price could ultimately face several overlapping charges connected to the same alleged conduct.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Copley Police detectives at 330-670-2708 or Lt. Mike Yovanno at 330-670-2723, officials said. WHIO and other outlets have shared the tip lines, and authorities note that anonymous tips are accepted. Investigators and prosecutors say they will release more details when appropriate as the investigation and charging process continue.
