Shawn Hope guilty on all counts; sentencing May 1

WARREN

The jury in the Shawn Hope trial returned guilty verdicts on all counts Thursday, finding that Hope killed John P. Kellar, 41, of Niles.

Jurors also found that Hope kidnapped Kellar’s fiance and another woman, stole a van and committed other crimes Dec. 2, 2016.

Hope, 51, who could get life in prison without parole when he is sentenced May 1, closed his eyes as he listened to the seven guilty verdicts.

The jury of seven women and five men in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court deliberated three hours before finding Hope guilty of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of kidnapping, one of aggravated robbery, one of tampering with evidence and one of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Judge Andrew Logan, who presided over the trial, will sentence Hope on only one of the two aggravated murder counts, apparently the one alleging the killing was premeditated.

Hope killed Kellar by shooting him twice in the chest in a home on Stephens Avenue Northwest, then kidnapped Kellar’s fiance, Tabitha Powell, 23, and Alicia Binion, 37, whose father owned the house.

Read more about the case in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.