Ohio woman sentenced to prison for fatally shooting man who burglarized her home

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Aug. 16—Family members of Milton Roberts asked a Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge for the maximum prison term Monday for a Toledo woman who shot the man multiple times as he allegedly burglarized her home. Robert's older sister, Lorena Roberts, asked Judge Ian English on Monday to sentence Laniesha Walls, 25, to a maximum term of 17 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter for fatally shooting the man multiple times at her apartment in the 1400 block of Norwood Avenue on June 22, 2020. Roberts later died of multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Lucas County Coroner's Office.

"An angry, young woman with a gun doesn't think rationally," Ms. Roberts said on Monday. "She had shot him once but her anger wanted him dead. As he lay wounded, Ms. Walls hovered over him and shot him again, multiple times. And then she left the scene, leaving him dead on the sidewalk. No attempt to seek help, no remorse for what she did. "Ms. Walls, in my opinion, is a cold-blooded killer and does not deserve any more breaks," Ms. Roberts added, claiming her brother's life had more meaning than the agreed-upon sentence of six years in prison. The Lucas County Prosecutor's Office consulted with Mr. Roberts' son, Milton Roberts Jr., throughout the case and he previously OK'd the terms of the plea agreement on behalf of the victim's family, assistant county prosecutor Michael Bahner said on Monday.

Both Mr. Bahner and defense attorney Adam Stone agreed to go forward with the hearing and Judge English sentenced Walls on Monday to an indefinite term of 6 to 8 1/2 years in prison. "I just want to apologize to the family," Walls said, hanging her head down throughout the proceedings. Walls was facing murder charges, which could have landed her in prison for life. Last month, Walls pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter with a firearm specification. As part of the agreement, the state recommended a six-year sentencing cap.

The judge said he understood the family's frustration with Walls' sentence. However, updates to Ohio's law now requires prosecutors to prove a defendant did not act in self-defense, which is sometimes leading juries to an acquittal, he said.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/toledo-woman-sentenced-prison-fatally-183800156.html

[bullwinkle428]

1. Firing several shots into this guy as he was laying on the ground is an incredibly

cold-blooded act. I'm glad she's going away for several years.

And if he had collapsed on the sidewalk as described, he clearly tried to flee the scene and collapsed. She could have just stood there with gun until police had arrived.

[LonePirate]

2. I am surprised this was brought to trial.

Numerous states/localities would not have prosecuted her let alone states like Florida or Texas where she would have been hailed as a brave hero for protecting her home and their governors would have wanted photo ops with her.

[Merlot]

5. If it were a man instead of a woman probably would have been hailed as hero.

Stand your ground laws don't apply to women like they do to men.

[roamer65]

3. Now she will have to fight the civil case.

She will lose that one, too.

[marble falls]

4. No witnesses, self defense not proven either way, reasonable doubt, the sentence seems right.

[Chili]

9. I actually served on a jury for a similar case here in Ohio

...though it was indicted as attempted murder - 1st degree, 2nd degree and manslaughter. It wasn't burglary, but a domestic dispute. The victim was on the lawn when he was shot, but not killed. Trying to remember, the shooter called 911, I think. Neither the shooter nor the victim was a villain, it was a messy case, and we wound up with a hung jury.

[marble falls]

14. I thought that jury duty was one of the most interesting experiances and I would do it again ...

The judge said, "if you're ex-law enforcement or had a family member injured or killed by a drunk driver, excuse yourself."

So we get into the Jury room and there's a wife of a cop and the daughter in law of a cop and a lady who's best friend's son from across the street was killed by a drunk driver.

We had to keep repeating the judge's explanations and charges and reasonable doubt.

There were some criminal charges involved we weren't allowed to know about, so we knew we were establishing a probable cause for a search.

We found the guy not guilty of DUI, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and guilty of open container. I think we pooched the search for the criminal charges out of the search.

[Chili]

16. it IS interesting

We had to do this too:

"We had to keep repeating the judge's explanations and charges and reasonable doubt."

... but it didn't matter, two jurors had different but determined reasons not to convict. I wasn't angry about it, because the rest of us didn't want to convict him either, but we had to follow the law.

I've served on two juries, the first one many years ago was an indictment for a murdered young woman. There was too much evidence, and he plead guilty, so we were dismissed. Now he's out having only served a decade for ending the young lady's life. SMH.

It makes you see things so differently, and you learn so much about the other jurors. I would definitely serve again, only I want a judge who does NOT ask you to say your name out loud in front of the defendant and his family. Ugh! Unconscionable. It was about drugs, too - imagine your name known by his accomplices sitting right there in court. I was assigned to that case, but the next day, we had a blizzard that stopped our rapid transit car and we got stuck on the tracks until a bus finally came and picked us all up. Got to court two hours late and, thank goodness, got assigned to a different case, and became a member of the jury that was hung. In fact, that new jury I was assigned to was in Judge Dick Ambrose's court - the former Cleveland Brown. He is an excellent judge in every way. He's a Republican, but after that, I voted for him. His fairness to both sides and to us jurors was phenomenal.

Come to think of it, I could've recused myself as a juror after my name was forced to be stated like that. Not that I'm familiar with court cases in any way, but I've never heard of such a thing. Couldn't I recuse? I would have, somehow.

[TheRealNorth]

6. Bet she gets a pardon from the Republican governor.

[madinmaryland]

23. If she's black, then she will probably not get pardoned by the Governor.

[Pisces]

7. A life vs. some material things. Crazy

[Hortensis]

8. She and the burglar she murdered may have been victims of

mistaken ignorant assumptions of what the law says and what people may be able to get away with. And not.

The law tends not to be nearly so factionally unprincipled as comments on social media forums like this suggest people believe. Know the real law and its application before killing -- or refusing to save a life (there go some of my favorite angry fantasies).

[KentuckyWoman]

12. +1

If someone owns a weapon they do need to know all of the laws regarding it. Plus best practices.

[Hortensis]

13. Exactly. And they sure won't learn the law on social media forums.

[Demsrule86]

24. she must have chased him out of her house and shot him...if he was laying on the sidewalk. I

don't think if you shoot someone in the back if they are running away is ever justified.

[Hortensis]

26. Sounds like it. Agree. Of course, most on social media don't come to

talk about right and wrong. Many come to keep what have become constant states of anger and hostility pumped up with others who feel the same way.

Guessing this murderer had a dreadful return to reality when feedback was from the police and DA instead of "friends." Stupid, stupid, stupid.

We actually have a young woman in our extended (by marriage only) family who felt she had a right, even a duty to self, to physically attack a middle-aged female neighbor she felt talked disrespectfully to her. It's like insanity in the air. She spent a couple months in county jail and nearly $10K in assorted fees and fines.

[Wingus Dingus]

10. The picture isn't clear from the story--

was she home by herself and this man broke in? Because if so, I for one would be terrified and not thinking clearly, and I don't know that I wouldn't also feel the compulsion to make sure he was deader than dead. Leaving and not calling the police is weird though. Edit to add: I'm surprised that everyone assumes she knew it was a totally non-violent burglary and that her physical safety was assured. Did I miss that in the story?

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

15. Shooting him, initially, wasn't the issue.

Shooting him after he was wounded, on the ground, and no longer a threat was. Ohio has castle doctrine and stand your ground. But neither protect you if you shoot someone when they are no longer a threat.

[SYFROYH]

18. And, I think, the buglar was outside the house for the final shots.

If he had remained inside, there could have been a case for the ongoing felony and therefore a threat.

[treestar]

20. +1

She kept shooting after he was not a threat, but how much easier is it for us to determine that he was no longer a threat from behind the keyboard.

[Wingus Dingus]

21. If someone breaks into my home while I'm in it,

I would have to assume the worst case scenario, he's there to kill me--and I would act accordingly. Hopefully I would stop attacking the intruder at the appropriate moment so that I am not accused of murder. Shooting someone in the back, outside in your driveway, is a clear cut no-no, for example. But what about shooting to kill inside one's home? If there's no weapon on the intruder, are you in big trouble? There's some gray area here that I'm not comfortable with.

[treestar]

22. And they say you should shoot to kill

I've seen "don't even point the gun unless you intend to kill" so if she had killed him with one shot, she would not be in this trouble. For the same reason gun people tell us you should not shoot to wound, because of what they could still do if wounded, there is reason to make sure he's dead.

Even the old west thing about shooting in the back - maybe he's turning to get something to harm you with - it's not cowboys in the old west now.

[USALiberal]

11. Sounds fair to me!

[SYFROYH]

17. It appears she continued to shoot after the burglar after left the house injured.

That's the thing about the castle doctrine, it has to be inside the "castle".

[Coventina]

19. I think we've been in agreement, as a country, for some time that burglary is not a capital crime

I'm pretty confident that the burglar was not found with a weapon, for this to have played out as it did.

[MineralMan]

25. "leaving him dead on the sidewalk"

So, he wasn't inside her home? Wait...what?

That seems to me to be an important bit of information, somehow.

Sounds like she shot him inside and he fled, so she followed him and shot him again and again until he died.

Now, I understand why she's going to prison.