HAMAD VERDICT | Capital punishment phase of case may start Wednesday

WARREN

Jurors in the Nasser Hamad aggravated murder trial reaached a lightning-fast verdict today, finding him guilty on all counts, including the specifications that make him eligible for the death penalty.

The panel of six men and six women deliberated only about 1 1/2 hours before indicating that they had reached a verdict.

That was remarkably fast for a trial with more than 30 witnesses over five days. Judge Ronald Rice also noted during jury instructions that the jury would have 27 verdict forms to review to provide the judge with their verdicts.

The judge spent about 1 1/2 hours before the jurors began to deliberate, explaining the laws to them to enable them to understand how to apply the testimony they heard to Ohio law.

Hamad sat still while Judge read the seven verdicts, including two counts of aggravated murder and five counts of attempted aggravated murder.

The judge warned everyone in the courtroom that no outbursts or reactions would be tolerated, and everyone complied, despite the length of time it took to read the verdicts and the specifications attached to each charge.

Judge Rice said the trial will enter the punishment phase as soon as Wednesday, but David Doughten, one of Hamad’s attorneys, told the judge that one of his witnesses will not be available until Nov. 6.

The judge said he would not wait that long, having told the attorneys during jury selection that jurors would have a few days off between the guilt/innocence phase and the punishment phase.

The jury concluded that Hamad was guilty of killing Joshua Haber, 19, and Josh Williams, 20, and wounding April Trent-Vokes, 42, Bryce Henrickson, 19 and John Shively, 17, in front of Hamad's state Route 46 home Feb. 25.

By convicting him of aggravated murder, they found that he had purposely committed the killings.