Court of Appeal upholds murder verdict | News, sports, work

WARREN – The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected an appeal by a man convicted of murder and attempted murder in connection with an April 2023 attack on the man and his girlfriend.

Kashaun Williams, 30, received a sentence of life in prison without parole with an additional 81 to 86.5 years for multiple other convictions related to the incident involving James Chapman and Martina Moore.

In November, he was found guilty of aggravated murder, attempted murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, criminal assault, assault on a peace officer and receiving stolen property.

Williams was spared the death penalty after a mitigation hearing in which jurors deliberated for about three hours before recommending life in prison without parole. Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald J. Rice accepted the jury’s recommendation.

Testimony at trial revealed that Williams shot Chapman twice on the victim’s porch, with one bullet passing through the heart and the other severing the spinal cord. Chapman died within minutes of the shooting. Williams was also found guilty of shooting and assaulting Moore and punching a police officer during his arrest.

Williams testified during the trial, claiming that the shooting was the result of a fight between him and Chapman, although he insisted that it was Moore who fired the shots. But prosecutors argued Williams had a violent history, presenting evidence of previous convictions for assault, domestic violence, kidnapping and armed robbery committed when he was 16.

A psychologist called by the defense testified that Williams’ aggressive behavior was shaped by a difficult upbringing and inadequate medical care.

In their appeal, Williams and his attorney questioned the sufficiency of the evidence used to convict him and argued that the judge erred in allowing a change to the felonious assault charge during the trial.

Appellate court judges Eugene Lucci, Matt Lynch and Robert J. Patton found no merit in any of the arguments and upheld the convictions and sentence.