Jeremy Butcher, a 29-year-old man from Akron, Ohio, was fatally shot in the head on February 10, 2022, while sitting in a vehicle in the 1000 block of Yukon Avenue. The incident occurred in a residential neighborhood just south of Copley Road by Interstate 76. Butcher was pronounced dead at the scene, and a second victim, a 37-year-old man, was also injured but survived.
Authorities identified Keith Soto, a 36-year-old man from Brook Park, as a person of interest early in the
investigation. After gathering additional evidence linking Soto to the shooting, Akron detectives and the U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested him in Cleveland on March 11, 2022. Soto was charged with aggravated murder, felonious assault, and having weapons under disability. He was taken into custody without incident and is currently being held in Summit County Jail.
The case went to trial, and on February 10, 2023, exactly one year after the shooting, Soto was convicted of murder and other charges. He was found guilty of two counts of felonious assault, one count of tampering with evidence, and two counts of weapons under disability. However, he was acquitted of one count of aggravated murder, a second count of murder, and one count of aggravated robbery. Soto claimed self-defense during the trial, but the jury rejected this defense.
Soto faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with several charges carrying additional prison time due to gun specifications. The sentencing is scheduled for February 27, 2023. The investigation and subsequent legal proceedings have brought some measure of justice for Butcher and his family, though the loss remains a tragic event for the community.
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