Early release for Stahlman denied

STAFF report

WARREN — A judge has denied early release for Ronald Stahlman, convicted in April of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to one to 10 years in prison in the killing of an 18-year-old Warren man in 1979.

Stahlman, 56, fled the Warren area and started a new life with a new name in the Western United States after an early-morning fight April 29, 1979, that killed Bernard Williamson.

A co-defendant, Ronald Collins, turned himself in to police a short time after Williamson’s death and served six months in jail for his part in the fight.

But Stahlman was on the loose until last December, when investigators located him in Payson, Ariz., where he lived with his wife and children.

Judge Andrew Logan of Trumbull County Common Pleas Court denied Stahlman’s request Friday to be released from prison after serving six months in jail, saying that allowing Stahlman to go free now would “demean the seriousness of this case under these particular circumstances.”

Stahlman’s next chance to be released will occur in December — one year from the time he was arrested — said Chris Becker, an assistant county prosecutor.

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Web site says Stahlman’s first parole hearing is in September.