The stakes are high in Summit County Common Pleas Court this week, where a jury trial is set to begin Monday for three men accused in the fatal 2024 shooting of an Akron man outside a neighborhood carryout. Khairi Moorer, Derek Edwards and Robert Davis were arrested last November and are charged in the death of 37-year-old Jamar E. Franklin. Prosecutors say Franklin was shot after a dispute and later died at Cleveland Clinic Akron General.
How the shooting unfolded
On Nov. 7, 2024, Akron police responded to a single-car crash near South Main Street and West Miller Avenue and found Franklin with an apparent gunshot wound. Investigators say he had been sitting in a vehicle in the Tasty Carry Out parking lot on West Long Street when he was shot. According to details outlined in a U.S. Marshals Service news release, Franklin managed to drive a short distance before crashing, was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General and later died there.
Arrests and charges
After warrants were issued, members of the U.S. Marshals' Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force tracked down the three suspects in mid-November. U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott credited "outstanding investigative work by the Akron Police Department detective bureau" in the Marshals' release. Moorer, Edwards and Davis are charged with aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, and their trial is scheduled to begin Monday morning in Summit County Common Pleas Court, as reported by Cleveland 19.
What the charges mean
Under Ohio law, aggravated murder is the state's most serious homicide offense and can carry a sentence of life imprisonment or, in some situations, the death penalty. Aggravated robbery is classified as a first-degree felony. Sentencing ranges and any mandatory enhancements are set out in the Ohio Revised Code. For statutory details, see the Ohio Revised Code and Ohio Revised Code Chapter 2911.
What to expect next
Jury selection and opening statements are expected to get underway Monday, followed by pretrial motions and likely battles over what jurors will be allowed to hear, including witness testimony and any contested search evidence. The case remains under active investigation, and Cleveland 19 reports it will continue to update its coverage as the trial moves forward.
