07-27-2012, 10:46 AM
An East Toledo man charged in the brutal asphyxiation deaths of a Springfield Township couple was found guilty today by a Lucas County Common Pleas Court jury.
Samuel Williams, 24, was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of aggravated burglary.
The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdict at about 10 a.m. today, after deliberating for more than seven hours. The guilty verdict means that Williams will undergo a second phase of trial, beginning Monday, to determine if he faces the death penalty.
Williams was charged in the Jan. 30, 2011, deaths of Lisa Straub, 20, and Johnny Clarke, 21. The couple were found in the Springfield Township home of Ms. Straub’s parents with their hands bound behind their backs and plastic bags secured around their necks with duct tape. Clarke’s ankles also were bound with duct tape.
Common Pleas Judge James Bates on Thursday acquitted a second defendant, Cameo Pettaway, on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Click here for story about another defendant acquitted in the murder case.
In the Williams case, there was three days of testimony from 27 witnesses, including one for the defense, and viewing more than 130 exhibits, jurors heard several hours of closing arguments Thursday. The prosecution and the defense asked the jurors to consider all the evidence, especially DNA, although each side tried to show how it pointed in different directions.
Rob Miller, an assistant county prosecutor, told the jury that of the nearly 90 people whose DNA was tested and compared to evidence collected in the house, DNA of only Williams and co-defendant Pettaway was found.
Defense attorney John Thebes asked jurors to consider DNA and pointed out the numerous pieces of evidence that contained DNA of others. In particular, he noted the duct tape that was used to bind the victims had traces of DNA on it, including a profile of an unknown woman, but none belonging to Williams.
Mr. Thebes also asked jurors to scrutinize the testimony of an informant, Erik Yingling, who testified Tuesday about information he said Williams shared while the two were jailed.
Samuel Williams, 24, was convicted of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of aggravated burglary.
The jury of nine women and three men returned the verdict at about 10 a.m. today, after deliberating for more than seven hours. The guilty verdict means that Williams will undergo a second phase of trial, beginning Monday, to determine if he faces the death penalty.
Williams was charged in the Jan. 30, 2011, deaths of Lisa Straub, 20, and Johnny Clarke, 21. The couple were found in the Springfield Township home of Ms. Straub’s parents with their hands bound behind their backs and plastic bags secured around their necks with duct tape. Clarke’s ankles also were bound with duct tape.
Common Pleas Judge James Bates on Thursday acquitted a second defendant, Cameo Pettaway, on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
Click here for story about another defendant acquitted in the murder case.
In the Williams case, there was three days of testimony from 27 witnesses, including one for the defense, and viewing more than 130 exhibits, jurors heard several hours of closing arguments Thursday. The prosecution and the defense asked the jurors to consider all the evidence, especially DNA, although each side tried to show how it pointed in different directions.
Rob Miller, an assistant county prosecutor, told the jury that of the nearly 90 people whose DNA was tested and compared to evidence collected in the house, DNA of only Williams and co-defendant Pettaway was found.
Defense attorney John Thebes asked jurors to consider DNA and pointed out the numerous pieces of evidence that contained DNA of others. In particular, he noted the duct tape that was used to bind the victims had traces of DNA on it, including a profile of an unknown woman, but none belonging to Williams.
Mr. Thebes also asked jurors to scrutinize the testimony of an informant, Erik Yingling, who testified Tuesday about information he said Williams shared while the two were jailed.