CANTON, Ohio — A Stark County jury found a 24-year-old Canton man guilty in the shooting that killed 19-month-old toddler Ace Lucas and injured Ace’s identical twin brother, ArCel, both of whom were shot while they slept in a Canton home in July 2020, according to News 5 media partner The Canton Repository.
Trejuan Johnson, 24, was one of the men police say targeted the Lucas family’s home on Clarendon Avenue SW on July 22, 2020.
According to police, Ace was sleeping when bullets tore through the house and struck him and his twin brother while they slept on the couch. Ace was transported to a nearby hospital and later died. His brother was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Surveillance video showed three men outside the home before the shooting.
According to the Canton Repository, a total of 10 witnesses were called, including two of Johnson’s former cellmates. They told law enforcement that Johnson admitted to the shootings and explained how Johnson changed the tire rims of his Dodge Charger to make it more difficult to identify his vehicle seen on multiple residential and city cameras.
There was no DNA evidence or eyewitnesses connecting Johnson to the crime, so the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence.
Jurors deliberated for about 4.5 hours before coming back with a verdict.
Johnson’s trial was delayed in August because Aaron Lucas, 29, the twins' father, was fatally shot on the eve of testifying in court.
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