Ohio man convicted in 4 slayings testifies in new trial

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man convicted of killing four people in an Akron townhome testified during his retrial that he heard the fatal gunshots but never shot anyone.

Deshanon Haywood, 23, took the stand during his trial Thursday in Summit County Court.

Haywood and Derrick Brantley, 23, were convicted for the April 2013 drug-related slayings of Ronald Roberts, 24; Kem Rashad Delaney, 23; Maria Nash, 19; and Kiana Welch, 19. Haywood’s convictions were vacated last fall over concerns about possible misconduct by prosecutors and false testimony from two witnesses. Special prosecutors from Cuyahoga County are now handling the case.

Haywood, who didn’t testify in his first trial, said he and Brantley had been at Roberts’ home to gamble on video games April 18, 2013. But “things got weird” when Brantley began demanding about $10,000 worth of heroin from Roberts and grabbed a gun, he said. Brantley eventually led the four people into the basement for the heroin, Haywood said.

Haywood said he heard gunshots and then screams, The Akron Beacon Journal reported.