Two Ohio men have been found guilty of killing a pregnant woman with whom one of them was expected to have a child, but claimed he was not not the father of the child.
A jury in Lucas County in Toledo found 37-year-old Paris James and 28-year-old Jerry Scott guilty of aggravated murder, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence among other charges over the death of Tameisha Price and her unborn child who was to be named Malaysia, prosecutors said.
Price, 34, was eight months pregnant and just weeks from giving birth. James, the father of the baby, planned the killings and Scott helped him execute the murder.
James Disputed the Paternity of the Child, Wanted the Victim to Have an Abortion
James and Scott killed Price at her home on Norton Place in Toledo on Jan. 24, 2024. According to cellphone data, after the crime, the men tried to ditch the gun in a marsh, but a park ranger later recovered it during a search, prosecutors said.
According to warrants, James told investigators he was "disputing his potential paternity of the child." As evidence prosecutors presented text messages between James and the victim in which he also denied paternity and wanted her to have an abortion.
James Asked Another Man to Kill Prince, Then Hired Scott for the Job When That Plan Didn't Pan Out
Additional text messages revealed conversations with another man whom James initially tried to hire to kill Price, but he turned to Scott when that plan didn't work out.
James' girlfriend Shatwiya Triplett, who was also pregnant at the time of the murders, is facing an obstruction charge for allegedly lying to investigators that James was with her at the time of the murders. Her case remains ongoing. James and Scott are scheduled to be sentenced on July 28. They're facing up to life in prison without parole.
"We hope this verdict brings a measure of peace to the families of Tameisha and Malaysia, and I hope their memories forever live in their hearts," Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates said in a statement. "We are grateful for the jury's service in what was a marathon case that required careful consideration of detailed cellphone data."
Price left behind two sons who were 16 and 13 at the time of her death.
