'You're an evil monster,' mother of Bedford man tells man convicted of his slaying
The father of a Bedford man who was fatally shot called the man convicted of his son’s slaying a “menace to society” Friday and said he hopes he spends the rest of his life in prison.
“I do believe he would kill someone else without a problem,” Matthew Barzal, the father of Owen Barzal, said during Christopher Blue’s sentencing in Summit County Common Pleas Court. “I don’t want anyone else to have to make a speech like this.”
He was one of several of Owen’s family members who spoke during Blue’s sentencing for Barzal’s slaying in October 2021.
Blue, 19, was convicted in a jury trial in July of murder that means causing a death as the result of felonious assault, felonious assault and tampering with evidence. The murder and felonious assault charges included gun specifications that carry with them additional prison time.
More: Akron man convicted of murder for shooting in drug deal, but jurors deadlock on 3 charges
Jurors, whose deliberations stretched over three days, deadlocked on three other charges, including aggravated murder.
Judge Kelly McLaughlin sentenced Blue Friday to life in prison with possible parole after 24 years, which was the maximum possible penalty he faced.
Blue, who claims he is innocent, plans to appeal.
Prosecutors say Blue shot Barzal during drug deal
Blue was arrested for the killing of Owen Barzal, 19, on Oct. 12, 2021, in a residential area near the East Avenue and Interstate 77 interchange.
Prosecutors say Barzal drove to Akron's Sherbondy Hill neighborhood to sell marijuana after arranging the deal with Blue via Snapchat.
Instead of making the purchase, prosecutors say Blue killed Barzal, shooting him from the back of Barzal's Jeep in Bernice Street, then fled to his home about two houses away around the corner on Russell Avenue.
Blue was arrested later that evening after a nearly six-hour standoff with police in which Akron SWAT officers eventually used chemical agents to force him from the house.
Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said in March 2022 that Blue's arrest may have been a factor in a pause in murders across the city. He told the Beacon Journal that following the arrest, police saw "a reduction in the number of violent incidents in our city for a period of time."
Blue won’t be retried on three charges, prosecutors say
Blue’s four-day trial ended with jurors convicting him of three charges and acquitting him of three others.
More: Verdict awaited in trial of Christopher Blue, accused in 2021 killing of Bedford man
Jurors deadlocked on aggravated murder that means purposely causing a death while committing an aggravated robbery, murder that means purposely causing a death, and aggravated robbery.
Assistant Summit County Prosecutor Dan Sallerson requested Friday that these charges be dismissed. He said Blue won’t be retried on them.
Sallerson, though, pushed for McLaughlin to impose the maximum sentence against Blue.
“He is a danger,” Sallerson said. “He is what prisons were made for — to protect the public.”
Sallerson said Blue has no other adult charges, but added this may be because he was arrested so soon after he turned 18. He said Blue has a lengthy juvenile record, including two offenses that involved a gun.
In Barzal’s shooting, Sallerson said Blue lured Barzal to where he was shot under the premise of buying marijuana then, within four minutes, got into the car and shot him.
“He lured him there to kill him,” Sallerson said, noting that Blue and Barzal had no connection before this.
Victim’s family members share their loss and anger
Family members of both Blue and Barzal attended the sentencing.
Zach Martin, Barzal’s friend, said he was a really good friend who was willing to help anyone, whether he knew them or not.
“He was one of the best people I’ve ever met in my life,” he said. “It’s a shame he’s gone.”
Annette Barzal, Owen’s grandmother, said she learned more about how much her grandson helped people after his death in the condolences letters she received. She said he shoveled snow, planted gardens, shopped for groceries, carried boxes and gave free archery lessons.
Barzal said her grandson enjoyed gardening and sold produce every Saturday at a farmer’s market.
“I miss the zinnias,” she said.
Barzal told Blue that she can’t forgive him.
“You took away my grandson’s future,” she said to Blue. “He loved life. You took this away from him and I don’t understand why. He did not harm you.”
MacKenzie Edgar, Owen’s mother, said in a statement read by a victim advocate that her son was a smart, kind, shy young man who didn’t deserve for his life to be ended like this. She said she would have taken the bullets for her son if she could have.
“Please, never let him out of jail,” she said. “Rot in hell, and remember what it’s for. You’re an evil monster, and now your life is over.”
Bethany Loveday, Owen’s aunt, said her heart breaks for both their family and Blue’s.
“You decided his life was less valuable than whatever you wanted to take from him,” she said. “That’s a human life you decided to take for no reason. You weren’t trying to defend yourself. He didn’t have a weapon … You do not to deserve to be walking around these streets.”
Attorney says Blue still maintains his innocence
Chuck Quinn, who represented Blue with Attorney Pat Summers, said Blue maintains that he wasn’t the one who shot Barzal and that the person who did fled the scene.
“He had nothing to do with it,” Quinn said. “He was just in the general vicinity.”
Asked if he wanted to speak, Blue talked briefly with Quinn, then said, “I respectfully decline.”
After the sentencing, Matthew Barzal said his family will do everything they can to make sure Blue is never released.
“My son — he’s not eligible for parole after 24 years,” he said. “He’s gone forever.”
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Christopher Blue gets life in prison for Bedford man's fatal shooting
