A Summit County judge on Monday told a 19-year-old accused murderer that he shouldn’t dismiss the option of a plea deal because if he’s found guilty, he’ll likely die in prison.
Fred Taylor, of Akron, is charged with aggravated murder. He’s accused in the shooting death of 23-year-old Javon Knaff on May 30. Knaff was found at about 7:30 p.m. in the 1000 block of Nadia Court with several gunshot wounds to the chest and right arm, according to police reports. He was transported to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he died of his wounds at about 10 p.m.
Taylor was set to stand trial on Monday, but the case was postponed about 60 days because new evidence needed analysis by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification. An exact trial date was not scheduled on Monday.
During the hearing Monday, Taylor’s attorneys, Edward Smith and John Alexander, told Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands that their client was not interested in hearing the terms of plea deals offered by prosecutors.
Rowlands responded by speaking directly to Taylor.
“For you to say absolutely not, you’re not thinking like a man,” she said. “You’re thinking like a child.”
Rowlands never advised Taylor to accept a plea deal. But she did tell him that innocence is a very rare thing in the courtroom, and that a plea deal would probably land him with a shorter prison sentence than if he were convicted by a jury. She explained that a conviction by jury would probably end in a life sentence, likely with the possibility of parole after 15 or more years.
However, the judge said studies have shown that the Ohio Parole Board rarely grants parole for people imprisoned on life sentences. Even if the victim’s family has died, members of the community often write to the Parole Board urging the board to keep the prisoner behind bars.
“It doesn’t matter how young you are,” Rowlands told Taylor. “You’ll die in prison.”
Rowlands, who worked as a defense attorney before becoming a judge, said she’s watched defendant after defendant refuse to accept plea deals only to end up imprisoned for life. As a result, she said, it’s important to consider the option of plea deals.
“These are things you need to think about,” she said. “I’m not telling you to do anything. I’m not your lawyers. I’m not the prosecutors.
“I’ve just seen some things.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ and on Facebook @JournoNickGlunt .