Double homicide suspect makes court appearance

Henry Culvyhouse, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
·2 min read

Aug. 4—CATLETTSBURG — An Ohio man charged in the June 17 double homicide of two Ashland women made his appearance Thursday in Boyd County Circuit Court.

John F. Tooson V, 32, of Rossford, was arraigned by Boyd County Judge John Vincent on charges of two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree wanton endangerment, auto theft and felon in possession of a firearm.

Sebastian Joy, Tooson's attorney, entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of his client. The attorney asked for a hearing within 60 days, in order to have time to receive and review evidence in the case.

Vincent set a pretrial date for Oct. 6. Vincent said bond wouldn't be reviewed because Tooson is not eligible due to the charges.

Boyd County Commonwealth's Attorney Rhonda Copley told The Daily Independent her office will announce in the coming weeks whether or not it will pursue a capital case against Tooson.

Currently, her office is pursuing a capital case against 52-year-old Demetrius Butler, who is accused of killing his girlfriend in an October 2020 housefire on Railroad Street in Ashland.

Tooson is accused of gunning down his girlfriend — 20-year-old Selina Easter — and her sister, 18-year-old Summer Algarakhuly inside an apartment on Montgomery Avenue.

He then stole Easter's car and fled to Toledo, according to police. Algarakhuly's 2-year-old child was left at the scene, police said.

When authorities tried to pick up Tooson, a standoff ensued that ended after he turned the gun on himself, Chief Todd Kelley said.

After laying up at the University of Michigan Hospital for roughly a month, Tooson was extradited to Boyd County on July 22.

At Thursday's hearing, Tooson appeared via video link from the Boyd County Detention Center and seemed to be walking on his own.

While Tooson appears to come from a prosperous family — online records show his father was a former bank executive and runs his own consulting firm — the suspect was charged with robbery when he was 19.

In 2018, he was picked up in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area on suspicion of pimping out his wife. He was ultimately convicted on felon in possession of a firearm, but failed to report to jail to serve his sentence in August 2021.

Back in May, Tooson was picked up in Ironton on a fugitive warrant, but Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, authorities failed to pick him up within the standard five-day time frame ordered by Ironton Municipal Court Judge Kevin Waldo.

Tooson was released onto the streets on May 10, according to court records.

(606) 326-2653 — henry@dailyindependent.com