A Cleveland couple is set to face a jury Monday, accused of turning a street confrontation on the city’s East Side into a deadly crash that left 37-year-old Norman Duncan dead. Prosecutors say Anne Marie Clayton and Marvin Atkins intentionally ran Duncan down, and they now stand charged with aggravated murder and other related counts. The case, which stems from an incident in April 2025, returns to the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas this week as jury selection gets underway.
Police say the crash was deliberate
According to Cleveland 19, a grand jury indicted Clayton and Atkins on charges that include aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and attempted murder. Cleveland police told investigators the incident unfolded around 7:35 p.m. on April 14, 2025, at the intersection of E. 149th Street and Kinsman Road. Duncan was reportedly walking away from a dispute when the pair allegedly got into a vehicle, drove onto the curb and hit him. Duncan later died at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, the outlet reports.
Search, arrest and bulletin
The Cleveland Police Homicide Unit tracked Clayton and Atkins to a residence and arrested them on April 23, 2025. Both were booked into the Cuyahoga County Jail, according to News 5 Cleveland. Before the arrests, authorities had put out a wanted bulletin asking the public to watch for a 2003 gold Chevrolet Impala with Ohio plate KOD2076. Investigators also released photos of the two suspects as they worked to generate tips and track them down.
What the charges mean
Aggravated murder is Ohio’s most serious homicide charge and can carry a potential sentence of life in prison or, where statutes allow, the death penalty, per the Ohio Revised Code. State law defines aggravated murder to include killings committed "with prior calculation and design" as well as deaths that occur during certain underlying felonies. At trial, prosecutors must convince jurors not only that a killing occurred, but that the intent and circumstances meet this higher legal standard.
What comes next
The trial is scheduled to start Monday in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, where jurors will weigh whether the evidence backs the grand jury’s indictment, according to Cleveland 19. Clayton and Atkins, arrested last spring, have remained in custody while the case moves through the system, and jury selection is expected to take at least several days. This story will be updated as the trial unfolds and additional court records become available.
