By Stephanie Warsmith
Akron Beacon Journal
AKRON, Ohio — An Akron man is accused of killing nine people in two deadly house fires in his neighborhood.
Now, prosecutors say, Stanley Ford should pay with his life.
Summit County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Ford, they announced Thursday during a press conference.
“Never before in Summit County history has one man been charged for the murders of nine people,” said Chief Prosecutor Margaret Scott, who was flanked by enlarged images of the two fire-ravaged houses. “The Summit County Prosecutor’s Office will fight for justice for the victims and their families.”
Akron police Chief James Nice said he’s glad the investigation — a collaboration of multiple agencies — found the person allegedly responsible.
“I am sure that this would have continued as a pattern had the investigators not done such a great job,” he said.
Investigators say Ford has been tied to three fires within a block of his Akron home, one that was a car fire in which no one was injured.
A Summit County grand jury indicted Ford Thursday on 29 charges, 22 that are aggravated murder counts for the nine fire victims and include death-penalty specifications. The murder charges involve different parts of the law that Ford was charged under.
Ford, 58, will be arraigned on the charges at 8 a.m. Aug. 2 in Summit County Common Pleas Court. He previously pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from one of the fires. He is being held in the Summit County Jail.
Investigators say Ford was responsible for fires at:
- 719 Fultz St. on April 18, 2016, in which Lindell Lewis, 65, and Gloria Jean Hart, 66, were killed and one man escaped.
- 723 Russell Ave. on Jan. 23, 2017, in which an SUV in a woman’s driveway was set on fire.
- 693 Fultz Ave. on May 15, 2017, in which Dennis Huggins, 35, and Angela Boggs, 38, and their five children: Cameron Huggins, 1; Alivia Huggins, 3; Kyle Huggins, 5; Daisia Huggins, 6; and Jared Boggs, 14, were killed. The family dog also perished.
Jordon Lewis, the son of Lindell Lewis who was killed in the April 2016 fire, expressed relief after the press conference that someone had been charged for his father’s death. He described Ford as a “bad neighbor” who often argued with the people who lived around him. He said Ford had bickered with Hart, his father’s girlfriend, before his father’s house was set on fire, but he didn’t think the dispute was anything serious.
“All he had to do was talk to my dad,” he said. “I’m sure they could have worked something out.”
Scott was unwilling Thursday to answer questions about the evidence that tied Ford to the fires or what his motive may have been.
The agencies involved in the investigation were the Akron police and fire departments, the State Fire Marshal’s Office, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and the FBI, Nice said.
Akron Police Capt. Kris Beitzel said the fire marshal’s office looked into different places in the state where Ford had lived to see if any other fires could be linked to him. She said none could.
Before deciding whether to pursue the death penalty, prosecutors met with defense attorneys, who provided them with information about why a life-in-prison penalty might be more appropriate. This was the first time Summit County had taken this step before presenting the case to a grand jury.
“There was nothing of any significance presented at this time,” Scott said.
Joseph Gorman, who is representing Ford, along with attorney Don Malarcik, said the information they provided to prosecutors included questioning whether Ford should face the death penalty with his advanced age and the additional expense involved in a capital case. Gorman said Ford likely will be 60 when his case is completed and inmates typically spend 17 years on death row during the appeals process, so, if convicted, Ford could ultimately die in prison rather than be executed.
“It doesn’t make any sense to move forward in that manner,” Gorman said.
Gorman, however, said he and Malarcik appreciated that the defense was given the chance to weigh in early in the process and hopes the prosecutor’s office will allow this input going forward.
Gorman said Ford continues to deny his involvement in the fires.
“He looks forward to the opportunity to challenge their evidence in court,” Gorman said.
Copyright 2017 Akron Beacon Journal