Reports say suspect in fatal shooting was veteran with PTSD

SOLON, Ohio (AP) — Records show a man charged with murder in the shooting of a woman after a traffic accident near Cleveland served two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps and received treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Matthew Desha, 29, told North Ridgeville police in 2011 about his PTSD diagnosis. Police were asked to check on him two years later after he stopped attending PTSD group-therapy sessions at a Department of Veterans Affairs clinic.

Desha is charged with killing 53-year-old Deborah Pearl, of Twinsburg, after running a red light and hitting Pearl’s car Saturday morning at a Solon intersection. Police say Desha shot Pearl multiple times with an AR-15 rifle.

Solon police say there’s no indication the two knew each other.

Desha’s court-appointed attorney didn’t return messages today.