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Thread: Stanley Ford Sentenced to LWOP in 2017 OH Multiple Arson Murders

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    Stanley Ford Sentenced to LWOP in 2017 OH Multiple Arson Murders


    Cameron Huggins, Cameron Huggins, Kyle Huggins, Daisia Huggins and Jered Boggs


    Angela Boggs and Dennis Huggins


    Gloria Jean Hart


    Lindel Lewis




    Stanley Ford


    Neighbor arrested for Fultz Street fire that killed 7

    By Amani Abraham
    WKYC News

    AKRON -- Officials at a press conference just now announced the arrest of neighbor Stanley Ford, 58, of Hillcrest Street for the 693 Fultz Street fire that killed 2 adults and five children.

    He was charged with one count of aggravated arson and seven counts of aggravated murder.

    Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan, interim State Fire Marshal Jeff Hussey, and authorities from the Akron police and fire departments provided the updates.

    Ford is a neighbor of the family. His home was searched days after the deadly fire took place.

    Investigators are reviewing another arson case that occurred nearby the Fultz Street home about a year ago that killed two people.

    Investigators have not determined if the arson cases are related.

    The latest fire, which happened May 15, took the lives of father Dennis Huggins, mother Angela Boggs, Cameron Huggins, Alivia Huggins, Kylle Huggins, Daisia Huggins and Jered Boggs.

    A sixth child, 18-year-old Brittany Boggs, was not home at the time of the fire.

    “This is a devastating tragedy for our community,” Horrigan said. “The safety of our residents is my top priority, and I vow to do everything in my power to ensure that justice is achieved for these victims and their families.”

    “The loss of life can never be replaced, but through the collaboration of state and local officials, we can bring to justice the man responsible for this horrific incident,” said Hussey. “We will continue working with all agencies involved to see this case through until the end.”

    http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/akron...ed-7/442217651
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Bond set at $7 million for Akron man accused of setting home on fire, killing family

    By Kaylee Remington
    cleveland.com

    AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron Municipal Court judge imposed a $7 million bond on the man charged with setting fire to his neighbors' home resulting in the death of seven people, including five children.

    The move came a day after Judge Ann Marie O'Brien ordered Stanley Ford held without bond. Ford's attorney Joseph Gorman requested at least some bond for his client whom he described as a family man who has lived in the community for 49 years.

    "He's married with two young children your honor," Gorman said. "It may not be attainable by him judge but I believe that given the fact that these are allegations at this time, he has not been convicted of anything, I think it's important to keep in mind that he's entitled to have a bond set."

    The judge complied with Gorman's request and set a $1 million bond for each of the victims.

    Gorman also said media went to Summit County Jail to speak with Ford. He asked that the court prevent the media from having access to Ford because he doesn't know what kinds of question the media is asking. O'Brien granted the request.

    Ford is scheduled for a pretrial hearing June 9.

    Ford is charged with seven counts of aggravated murdered and a single count of aggravated arson. Prosecutors have not determined if they will seek the death penalty in the case.

    Authorities have not offered a motive in the fire that killed Dennis Huggins, Angela Boggs and five children.

    Investigators raided Ford's home just days after the May 15 fire. It is tied as the deadliest blaze in Akron's history.

    Officials won't comment on evidence found from the fire and Ford's home or if an accelerant was used to spread the blaze.
    Investigators who searched the home were seen carrying gas containers out of Ford's home.

    Jered Boggs, 14; Daisia Huggins, 6; Kylle Huggins, 5; Alivia Huggins, 3; and Cameron Huggins, 1 died in the fire. Their 38-year-old mother and her 35-year-old boyfriend also died. All seven victims died of smoke inhalation, the medical examiner's office said.

    http://www.cleveland.com/akron/index...rt_river_index
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Prosecutors to Hear Evidence Before Ruling on Death Penalty

    Prosecutors will hear evidence from attorneys of a man charged with aggravated murder for a blaze in Ohio that killed seven people before deciding whether to pursue the death penalty

    AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Prosecutors said they will hear evidence from attorneys of a man charged with aggravated murder for a deadly blaze that killed seven people before deciding whether to pursue the death penalty against him.

    Summit County prosecutors are making the criminal case against Stanley Ford, 58, part of a pilot program that allows defense attorneys to present evidence about why a defendant should not be sentenced to death before prosecutors seek death penalty specifications in a grand jury, the Akron Beacon Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2uFznY6 ).

    Mitigation in capital murder trials typically occurs after a defendant has been found guilty.

    Ford is charged with seven counts of aggravated murder and one count of aggravated arson for the May 15 fire in Akron. The blaze killed a couple and five children who lived down the street from Ford. Firefighters found the two-story home engulfed in flames.

    Three days later, police executed a search warrant on a house Ford owns and one next door.

    "Let's have all those cards on the table from the beginning," said Brad Gessner, chief counsel for the Summit County prosecutor. "This is all about justice — for these individuals, the victims, as much as the people charged, to feel they were fairly treated by the system."

    One of Ford's attorneys, Don Malarcik, has been a critic of Summit County's existing policy for pursuing death penalty cases. The county's last 10 capital cases since 2014 have resulted in just one death sentence, the newspaper reported. Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, and Montgomery County, which includes Dayton, are trying similar approaches to mitigation.

    "I give a great deal of credit to the prosecutor's office for spearheading this innovative approach to the capital process," Malarcik said.

    Those killed in the fire were 35-year-old Dennis Huggins, his partner, 38-year-old Angela Boggs, and five children: 14-year-old Jered Boggs, 6-year-old Daisia Huggins, 5-year-old Kylle Huggins, 3-year-old Alivia Huggins and 16-month-old Cameron Huggins.

    All seven died of smoke inhalation. Their bodies were found on the home's second floor.

    Investigators haven't said why Ford might have set the fire. Police have said they weren't aware of any relationship between Ford and the victims other than them being neighbors.

    Death penalty specifications would have to be presented to a grand jury by Aug. 20, which is 90 days from Ford's arrest.

    https://www.usnews.com/news/best-sta...-death-penalty
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Akron man tied to 3 fires in his neighborhood, 2 that claimed 9 lives; prosecutors seek death penalty for Stanley Ford

    An Akron man is accused of killing nine people in two deadly house fires in his neighborhood.

    Now, prosecutors say, Stanley Ford should pay with his life.

    Summit County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Ford, they announced Thursday during a press conference.

    “Never before in Summit County history has one man been charged for the murders of nine people,” said Chief Prosecutor Margaret Scott, who was flanked by enlarged images of the two fire-ravaged houses. “The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office will fight for justice for the victims and their families.”

    Akron police Chief James Nice said he’s glad the investigation — a collaboration of multiple agencies — found the person allegedly responsible.

    “I am sure that this would have continued as a pattern had the investigators not done such a great job,” he said.

    Investigators say Ford has been tied to three fires within a block of his Akron home, one that was a car fire in which no one was injured.

    A Summit County grand jury indicted Ford Thursday on 29 charges, 22 that are aggravated murder counts for the nine fire victims and include death-penalty specifications. The murder charges involve different parts of the law that Ford was charged under.

    Ford, 58, will be arraigned on the charges at 8 a.m. Aug. 2 in Summit County Common Pleas Court. He previously pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from one of the fires. He is being held in the Summit County Jail.

    Investigators say Ford was responsible for fires:

    • At 719 Fultz St. on April 18, 2016, in which Lindell Lewis, 65, and Gloria Jean Hart, 66, were killed and one man escaped.

    • At 723 Russell Ave. on Jan. 23, 2017, in which an SUV in a woman’s driveway was set on fire.

    • At 693 Fultz Ave. on May 15, 2017, in which Dennis Huggins, 35, and Angela Boggs, 38, and their five children: Cameron Huggins, 1; Alivia Huggins, 3; Kyle Huggins, 5; Daisia Huggins, 6; and Jared Boggs, 14, were killed. The family dog also perished.

    Jordon Lewis, the son of Lindell Lewis who was killed in the April 2016 fire, expressed relief after the press conference that someone had been charged for his father’s death. He described Ford as a “bad neighbor” who often argued with the people who lived around him. He said Ford had bickered with Hart, his father’s girlfriend, before his father’s house was set on fire, but he didn’t think the dispute was anything serious.

    “All he had to do was talk to my dad,” he said. “I’m sure they could have worked something out.”
    Scott was unwilling Thursday to answer questions about the evidence that tied Ford to the fires or to what his motive may have been.

    The agencies involved in the investigation were the Akron police and fire departments, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI, Nice said.

    Akron Police Capt. Kris Beitzel said the fire marshal’s office looked into different places in the state where Ford had lived to see if any other fires could be linked to him. She said none could.

    Before deciding whether to pursue the death penalty, prosecutors met with defense attorneys, who provided them with information about why a life-in-prison penalty might be more appropriate. This was the first time Summit County had taken this step before presenting the case to a grand jury.

    “There was nothing of any significance presented at this time,” Scott said.

    Joseph Gorman, who is representing Ford, along with attorney Don Malarcik, said the information they provided to prosecutors included questioning whether Ford should face the death penalty with his advanced age and the additional expense involved in a capital case. Gorman said Ford likely will be 60 when his case is completed and inmates typically spend 17 years on death row during the appeals process, so, if convicted, Ford could ultimately die in prison rather than be executed.

    “It doesn’t make any sense to move forward in that manner,” Gorman said.

    Gorman, however, said he and Malarcik appreciated that the defense was given the chance to weigh in early in the process and hopes the prosecutor’s office will allow this input going forward.

    Gorman said Ford continues to deny his involvement in the fires.

    “He looks forward to the opportunity to challenge their evidence in court,” Gorman said.

    http://www.ohio.com/news/local/akron...-ford-1.783454

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    Edited:

    Family members want to see man charged in fatal fires put to death; Stanley Ford pleads not guilty to 29 charges


    By Stephanie Warsmith
    The Akron Beacon-Journal

    The family members of nine people killed in fatal fires want to see the Akron man prosecutors say is responsible put to death.

    That was the consensus the victims’ families shared after sitting through the lengthy and emotional arraignment Wednesday morning for Stanley Ford, who is accused of starting three fires — two that caused deaths — in his neighborhood.

    “They didn’t have a choice, so why should he?” said Monique Scott, the daughter of Gloria Jean Hart, who was killed in the first fire in April 2016.

    Tony Huggins, the brother of Dennis Huggins, who was killed in the second fire in May, along with his girlfriend and their five children, agreed. Huggins, a pastor of Shelton Temple Prayer Church of God on North Hill and a chaplain at Summa Health, said capital punishment is part of the law.

    “I feel like the law is written and established,” Huggins said. “The law is in their hands. They didn’t ask me when they wrote it.”

    Ford, 58, pleaded not guilty via video in Summit County Common Pleas Court from the Summit County Jail to 29 charges, including 22 counts of aggravated murder, citing Ford for the nine deaths under different parts of state law.

    Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Ford on the grounds that he killed two or more people, caused deaths during the commission of a felony — arson — and took the lives of children under the age of 13, according to the indictment.

    Assistant Chief Summit County Prosecutor Margaret Scott read the 29-page indictment, as required in a capital case. The reading of the indictment is most often waived.

    The case was assigned to Judge Christine Croce. Ford will next be in court at 1 p.m. Tuesday.

    Ford is being held in the jail on a $7 million bond. He showed no emotion during the reading of his indictment, which took nearly an hour and a half.

    This was the deadliest fire in Akron’s history.

    A dozen members of the fire victim’s families wept, comforted each other and shook their heads sadly during the indictment reading, which included the names of the victims and, for the children, their birth dates.

    Both families spoke to members of the media after the arraignment outside of the magistrate’s courtroom.

    Tony Huggins said he tried to keep his emotions under control during the arraignment. He said the proceeding brought everything back for him and his family.

    “The loss we’ve suffered is great,” he said.

    Monique Scott openly wept when she heard her mother’s name during the reading of the indictment.

    “I’m just glad that it started and my mom and Lindell will get justice,” she said. “We knew he did it.”

    Scott said she wishes another family hadn’t had to suffer before investigators determined who was responsible.

    Attorneys Joseph Gorman and Don Malarcik, who are representing Ford, nodded to the family members as they left the courtroom.

    “I’m sorry you have to be here,” Malarcik said to them.

    Gorman said he and Malarcik haven’t yet received evidence from the prosecutor’s office.

    “Stanley is devastated by the accusations,” Gorman said. “He maintains his innocence.”

    http://www.ohio.com/news/local/famil...arges-1.784744
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Racial slur by former chief become issue in capital case; attorneys seek dismissal of death penalty

    By Stephanie Warsmith
    The Akron Beacon-Journal

    A racial slur by former Akron Police Chief James Nice has become an issue in a high-profile capital murder case pending in Summit County.

    Defense attorneys for Stanley Ford, indicted for starting three fires that claimed the lives of nine people, are asking that the capital specifications be dropped because race and geography played a role in the decision to seek the death penalty.

    The attorneys cite recent research that shows the race of defendants and victims and where crimes are committed in Ohio play a key role in deciding whether defendants face the death penalty. They also point to Nice’s use of racial slurs, including the N-word, which was among the reasons the chief was forced to abruptly resign on Aug. 27.

    Nice was the chief when the Akron Police Department, along with other law enforcement agencies, investigated Ford. Nice is white, while Ford is black.

    “Mr. Ford asks this court to carefully consider the words and actions of an overt racist, James Nice,” defense attorney Joseph Gorman wrote in a motion filed this week. “Former chief Nice was present from the time of the fires to the press conference announcing Mr. Ford’s indictment.”

    Gorman said he and Don Malarcik, Ford’s second attorney, plan to subpoena and question Nice at an upcoming hearing about his involvement in the Ford case and his “racist views.”

    Whether Gorman and Malarcik will be successful in their claims and whether Nice’s racial slurs could have an impact on other cases remains to be seen.

    J. Dean Carro, an emeritus law professor at the University of Akron, said proving that Nice’s personal views had an impact on any cases would be difficult. He said the attorneys would have to show that the chief’s views “found their expression in policy, practice or custom in the police department.”

    “That is a difficult burden to meet,” he said.

    The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office declined Friday to comment on the potential broader consequences of the former chief’s remarks, citing a gag order in the Ford case.

    Nice handed in his resignation after his nephew, Joseph Nice, who was then facing criminal charges, told police that he had a video tape of his uncle using the N-Word and said the chief was having an affair with a female Akron police officer. The department’s leaders also learned that chief Nice could face criminal charges related to his nephew’s used car business.

    Nice admitted using the racial slur and having an affair with an officer, which violates police policy, to Deputy Chief Kenneth Ball, now the interim chief,.

    The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, at the request of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, is investigating the chief’s alleged wrongdoing. Charges were dropped Thursday against Joseph Nice, who was facing three felonies related to his used auto business.

    Mike Callahan, James Nice’s attorney, has said his client denies any criminal wrongdoing.

    Callahan said Friday that he respects Gorman and Malarick and that they were doing their jobs in filing the dismissal motion.

    “They will do anything they can to get the death penalty thrown out,” Callahan said. “It has nothing to do with guilt or innocence. It has to do with penalty.”

    If the attorneys subpoena Nice, Callahan said he will seek to quash it. Summit County Common Pleas Judge Christine Croce, who is presiding over the Ford case, would then decide if Nice should testify.

    The city of Akron is trying to quash a subpoena filed by Gorman and Malarcik seeking chief Nice’s emails, cell phone records, daily planner, disciplinary file, expense reports and appointment calendar for the past nine months.

    Assistant Prosecutor Michael Defibaugh said the request is overly board and could include confidential information related to police investigations.

    “The breadth of the records sought provides a strong indication that the subpoena was issued as part of a ‘fishing expedition,’” Defibaugh said in his motion.

    Malarcik said in the pretrial Friday that he will work with Defibaugh to address his concerns about the request being overly broad.

    Malarcik and Gorman are among the local defense attorneys who have been critical of the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office for continuing to pursue capital cases, despite the fact that juries in the most recent cases have instead recommended life-without-parole sentences. They also point to disparities in the implementation of the death penalty, citing a recent study by a North Carolina researcher.

    In Summit County, the attorneys point out that eight of the last 11 people indicted with death penalty specifications were black.

    Chief Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Margaret Scott said Friday during the Ford pretrial that her office plans to file a written response to the request that the death penalty be dropped from the case. Summit prosecutors have previously said the death penalty is reserved for the “worst-of-the-worst” cases.

    Ford, 58, was indicted in late July on 29 charges, 22 that are aggravated murder counts for the nine fire victims. The murder charges involve different parts of the law under which Ford was charged.

    Investigators say Ford set three fires in his neighborhood, with two people killed in one fire and seven perishing in another, including five children. The third was a car fire with no injuries.

    Ford is being held in the Summit County Jail without bond. He will next be in court for a pretrial Oct. 20.

    https://www.ohio.com/akron/news/loca...-death-penalty
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Legend CharlesMartel's Avatar
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    Summit judge orders prosecutors to turn over emails in murder case in response to racism claims

    By Stephanie Warsmith
    The Akron Beacon-Journal

    A Summit County judge has ordered the prosecutor’s office to hand over emails on the Stanley Ford murder case in response to Ford’s attorneys claims of racism.

    Judge Christine Croce limited her order to the emails and other communication on the Ford case from the start of the investigation until five days after Ford was indicted in late July for starting fatal fires that left nine people dead.

    Croce said she will review the material and decide if any of it should be shared with Ford’s attorneys.

    Don Malarcik and Joe Gorman, Ford’s attorneys, are requesting that Croce dismiss the death penalty specification against Ford — who is African-American — because of the role race played in the decision to seek capital punishment.

    The attorneys cite research that shows the race of defendants and victims and where crimes are committed in Ohio play a key role in deciding whether defendants face the death penalty. They also point to former Akron Police Chief James Nice’s use of racial slurs, including the N-word, which was among the reasons the chief was forced to abruptly resign Aug. 27. Nice was the chief when Ford’s case was investigated and was among those who spoke at a July 27 press conference to announce Ford’s indictment.

    “James Nice is an admitted, overt racist,” Malarcik said Friday morning during a pretrial on the case. “He advocated the death penalty … We have more than statistics. We have a man who was part of the team.”

    “We believe that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Malarcik added.

    Prosecutors, however, are opposing the request to remove the death penalty. Chief Prosecutor Margaret Scott said defense attorneys must provide proof that Ford is being treated differently from other defendants.

    “I am unaware of anyone else who is alleged to have murdered nine people by fire in Summit County,” Scott said. Ford, 58, was indicted on 29 charges, 22 that are aggravated murder counts for the nine fire victims. The murder charges involve different parts of the law under which Ford was charged.

    Investigators say Ford set three fires in his neighborhood, with two people killed in one fire and seven perishing in the other, including the five children. The third was a car fire with no injuries.

    Ford is being held in the Summit County Jail without bond. He will next be in court for another pretrial Dec. 15.

    https://www.ohio.com/akron/news/loca...-racism-claims

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    This is absolutely ridiculous

    How can his lawyers claim that his race played a factor in seeking the DP?

    Don't they understand how they diminish the victims who are also Black?

    Don't the nine Black people murdered matter? More than half the victims were children and two were elderly.

    I don't get it. I really, really don't.
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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    Senior Member CnCP Addict one_two_bomb's Avatar
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    Everything is racist

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    Senior Member Member DStafford's Avatar
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    If the police chief stood on the hood of his car and shouted every racial epithet he could think of, it doesn’t change the fact that this man murdered a slew of people and should be put to death for it. One thing has nothing to do with the other.

    And whatever happened to freedom of speech?

    -Dawn

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