Akron man goes on trial for double shooting in Cuyahoga Falls
Someone shot through an open window of a Cuyahoga Falls apartment in May 2022.
A man inside was fatally shot, while a woman was struck in the leg but survived.
The man police say was responsible in the double shooting is now on trial.
Deair Wray’s trial began with opening statements and the start of testimony Monday morning in Summit County Common Pleas Judge Kathryn Michael’s courtroom. His trial is expected to last through Thursday.
Wray, 29, of Akron, who also goes by Deair Johnson, is charged with murder, felonious assault and improperly discharging a firearm into a habitation. All the charges include gun specifications that carry with them additional prison time.
Attorneys John Greven and Nathan Ray are representing Wray.
Two people are shot but one survives
Wray is accused in a shooting that happened shortly before midnight May 26, 2022, at an apartment at 1376 Forest Glen Drive in Cuyahoga Falls. This is part of an apartment complex sandwiched between Front Street and Glens Trail and the Cuyahoga River.
More: 911 recording released in Cuyahoga Falls double shooting that killed Akron man
Police said Wray fired 9 mm rounds into a window of the apartment, striking Giovanni Stanford, 23, of Akron, in the torso and head.
A woman in the apartment was shot in the leg and treated at an area hospital, police said.
Police said Stanford, 23, of Akron, was unresponsive when they arrived. He was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital and died there from his injuries at 11:24 p.m., according to the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office.
Wray says he has an alibi
Wray insists he is innocent and says he has an alibi.
Greven filed a notice with the court in March that said Wray was at a home in Akron at the time of the shooting and that he has a witness who would testify to this.
Prosecutors won’t be able to present CyberCheck evidence about Wray’s whereabouts. This is a new law enforcement tool that tracks a person’s location based on their smartphone use.
Greven and Ray claimed CyberCheck evidence shouldn’t be permitted in the trial unless they were provided with the company’s software to independently check the results.
Thomas Pokorny, a visiting judge, agreed and ruled that the CyberCheck information couldn’t be presented unless the information requested by the defense was provided. The company has been unwilling to provide this information, claiming it is proprietary.
This is the latest of several challenges defense attorneys have made to the use of CyberCheck evidence being presented in trials.
Two other men also charged in shooting
Wray is one of three men charged in the Falls double shooting and the first to go on trial.
Durell McDowell, 33, of Canton, and Jameir McDowell, 33, of Akron, are scheduled to enter a plea and be sentenced Oct. 12.
Durell is charged with obstructing justice, while Jameir faces the same charges as Wray, plus obstructing justice.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Deair Wray goes on trial in Summit County court for double shooting
