In the early hours of a Saturday morning in Sharon, Pennsylvania, the life of 23-year-old Kelli Johnston was tragically cut short. On August 8, 2020, police responded to a call and discovered Johnston with a gunshot wound to her head. She was a young mother of two, a 1-1/2-year-old son and a 4-month-old daughter, who were both in the apartment at the time their mother was shot. Johnston was immediately transported to Sharon Regional Hospital and then airlifted to St.
Elizabeth's Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, but she ultimately succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased.
The investigation quickly led to a suspect, Ezra Daye, who was identified as Johnston's long-time boyfriend and the father of her two children. Daye, 20 years old at the time, was apprehended by the Sharon Police Department by 6:12 a.m. on the same day. He was subsequently charged with criminal homicide, persons not to possess firearms, and two counts of aggravated assault. It was also revealed that Daye was already wanted on two unrelated warrants in Trumbull County, Ohio, and Mercer County, Pennsylvania.
In the end, Ezra Daye pleaded no contest to a charge of third-degree murder. Following a plea agreement, a Mercer County Common Pleas Court judge sentenced him to 15 to 35 years in state prison. At the hearing, Daye offered an apology to Kelli Johnston's family. The case highlighted the devastating consequences of domestic violence, as noted by the Mercer County District Attorney, who mentioned it was one of several tragic cases in the county involving women killed by their partners.
