The Lorain County prosecutor is requesting a new trial for four people convicted of murder

LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) – The Lorain County prosecutor has filed a motion to grant a new trial to four men convicted of murder.

Prosecutor Tomlinson filed the motion Monday on behalf of convicts Alfred Cleveland, Benson Davis, John Edwards and Lenworth Edwards, according to a letter from Lorain County Prosecutor JD Tomlinson.

Cleveland, Davis and the Edwards were all convicted in the 1991 murder of 22-year-old Marsha Blakely. The convicts were also suspected of murdering Blakely’s roommate, Floyd Epps.

Two of the men have been behind bars for over 20 years. The other two were released but not exonerated.

“This decision was not made lightly. This comes after a careful review of the evidence, testimony and circumstances surrounding these convictions,” said Prosecutor Tomlinson. “This is not an attempt to shift blame, but rather an acknowledgment that new evidence and greater scrutiny require action.”

The letter said the testimony of a key witness in the case was completely decoded. Tomlinson said the witness’ statements changed several times.

According to the letter, the witness only gave his testimony after a $2,000 reward was offered.

Before the trial, the witness requested an increased reward of $10,000. When those demands were rejected, he refused to testify in court, Tomlinson said.

The witness later admitted that his original statements were false. The letter stated that the witness simply wanted to claim the reward.

After the witness recanted his statements, the State of Ohio still used the witness’s statements in four trials.

The witness later formally recanted his statement, saying, among other things: “I never witnessed the murder of Marsha Blakely.”

19 News is not naming the witness because they are not accused of a crime.

“These retractions, coupled with the complete lack of physical evidence linking the defendants to the crime, undermine the basis of these convictions,” prosecutor Tomlinson said in the letter. “In truth, it was not this statement that was missing, but the fatal error. Without them, there is no credible evidence linking these four men to the crime.”

Prosecutor Tomlinson said the state failed to meet its burden of proof in this case.

The letter said the most likely suspect, a man who was at the scene, had never been convicted of murder.

Tomlinson said if the four convicts are granted a new trial, he would dismiss all charges.

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