Less than a week after the start of the trial to determine if someone should be held responsible for the death of Ethan Liming, lawyers gave their closing arguments.
Liming died last summer in the parking lot of the I Promise School in Akron.
Two brothers, Deshawn and Tyler Stafford, are the defendants in the case, charged with involuntary manslaughter. They are claiming self-defense under Ohio’s Stand Your Ground law. The prosecution has to prove they weren’t trying to defend themselves.
Both sides agree that on June 2, 2022, Liming and his friends smoked marijuana and went to the school, where they used a toy SplatRball gun to shoot gel pellets at basketball players on the court.
Prosecutors contend that led to a three-on-one fight, and DeShawn Stafford threw the first punch on Liming before his brother and a cousin joined in.
Police said as the fight continued, Liming fell and hit his head on the pavement, which caused his death, according to the Summit County Medical Examiner.
"This wasn't an accident. They did cause or attempt to cause him injury by punching his face, hitting his face— the physical harm. We saw the photographs. We saw the brutal photographs from the scene," said Summit County Asst. Prosecutor Matt Kuhn.
He continued, "It's clear that it was a prank, that it was a joke. Ethan posed no threat to anybody there that day. He had a SplattRball gun. He was not interested in a fistfight."
The defense told the jury the brothers thought they were under attack from a real gun, and they acted that night in self-defense, something the prosecution called retaliation and unreasonable force.
Attorneys for the brothers said they were afraid and didn't know what was happening.
Jon Sinn, Deshawn Stafford's attorney, said, "Deshawn walks up with a basketball in hand, and what, he gets is shot in the face."
Sinn explained to the jury, "What I am trying to say... you got a right when someone shoots you with this damn thing to say, 'Are you serious? Are you serious, dude? Am I being pranked? Is Ashton Kutcher gonna jump out on these kids and say they're on Punked MTV?' No."
Closing arguments have wrapped up, and the jury will start deliberating Thursday morning.
Deshawn Stafford faces first and third-degree charges of involuntary manslaughter and could get up to 11 years in prison if convicted. Tyler Stafford faces a third-degree charge of involuntary manslaughter, which carries a potential 3-year prison sentence.
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