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Ohio District Court of Appeals denies appeal of Trumbull County convicted murderer

By TRUMBULL COUNTY PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE
A Trumbull County man has been denied an appeal by the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals.
A Trumbull County man has been denied an appeal by the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals.

On Monday, the Ohio 11th District Court of Appeals denied the appeal of Kashaun Williams upholding his life without parole and 81 to 86 ½ years sentence in the conviction of the murder of James Chapman in April 2023, according to a Trumbull County Prosecutor’s office press release.

The release stated in a capital trial, a Trumbull County jury in November 2023 found Kashaun Williams, 30, guilty of two counts of aggravated murder, attempted murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, felonious assault, assault on a peace officer and receiving stolen property.

The jurors deliberated for about three hours after hearing two days of testimony in the capital murder case. Following a mitigation hearing, the same jurors deliberated again for about three hours and decided to save Williams from the death penalty, instead choosing to recommend to Common Pleas Judge Ronald J. Rice that he be give the life without parole sentence, accoring to the release.

Testimony at the trial of Kashaun Williams showed Chapman was shot two times, with one bullet passing through the heart and another bullet severing the spinal cord.

The release stated Chapman died within minutes of the shooting on his front porch. Williams was also convicted of shooting and beating of Chapman’s girlfriend, Martina Moore, and punching a female police officer as he was being arrested.

In his appeal, Williams and his attorney raised two assignments of error, stating the state provided insufficient evidence at trial to gain the convictions, and the judge erred in allowing the amending of the felonious assault charge, the release stated.

In both cases, the appeals court, led by Judge Eugene Lucci who was joined by Judges Matt Lynch and Robert J. Patton, ruled that the assignment of errors lacked merit and upheld Williams’ convictions and sentence.

First Assistant Christopher Becker and Assistant Prosecutor Gabriel Wildman handled the prosecution of Williams at trial, while the appeal was handled by Assistant Prosecutor Ryan J. Sanders.