Defense: Nix death penalty sought in case over 9 fire deaths in Akron

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Attorneys for a black man charged in two Ohio fires that killed nine people allege race was a factor in the decision to seek capital punishment and say death-penalty specifications in the case should be dismissed.

The Akron Beacon Journal reports prosecutors oppose that request by lawyers for 58-year-old Stanley Ford, of Akron.

He pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder charges for two fires on one street, within a block of his home. An April 2016 fire killed two adults. A blaze last May killed two adults and five children.

Emails from the prosecutor’s office about the case will be reviewed by a Summit County judge to determine whether that information should be shared with the defense attorneys arguing that race affected how the case was handled.