Appeals court upholds murder conviction
WARREN — The 11th District Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of a man convicted of murder and attempted murder in connection to an April 2023 attack on a man and his girlfriend.
Kashaun Williams, 30, received a life sentence without parole with an additional 81 to 86.5 years for multiple other convictions tied to the incident involving James Chapman and Martina Moore.
He was found guilty in November of aggravated murder, attempted murder, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, felonious assault, assault on a peace officer and receiving stolen property.
Williams was spared the death penalty following a mitigation hearing, where jurors deliberated for about three hours before recommending life without parole. Common Pleas Court Judge Ronald J. Rice accepted the jury’s recommendation.
Testimony at trial revealed Williams shot Chapman twice on the victim’s front porch, with one bullet passing through his heart and the other severing his spinal cord. Chapman died within minutes of the shooting. Williams also was found guilty of the shooting and assault of Moore and for punching a police officer during his arrest.
Williams testified during the trial, claiming the shooting stemmed from a fight between him and Chapman, though he insisted Moore was the one who fired the shots. Prosecutors, however, argued Williams had a violent history, introducing evidence of previous convictions for assault, domestic violence, abduction and an armed robbery committed when he was 16.
A psychologist called by the defense testified Williams’ violent behavior was shaped by a troubled upbringing and inadequate medical care.
In his appeal, Williams and his attorney challenged the sufficiency of the evidence used to convict him and argued the judge erred in permitting an amendment to the felonious assault charge during trial.
The appeals court judges, Eugene Lucci, Matt Lynch and Robert J. Patton, found no merit in either argument and upheld the convictions and sentence.