Nathan Miles Flight, a 25-year-old White man from Canton, Ohio, was remembered by his family as selfless, kind, and “a bright and shining light.” His sister said he had a “goofy, silly demeanor,” a positive outlook, and an “explorer’s heart.” Family members said Nathan would go out of his way to help anyone, and on April 14, 2025, that instinct led him to Barberton, Ohio.
He had received a call from a female friend who said she had just been in an argument with her husband and needed help.
In the early morning hours, at approximately 1:24 a.m., Nathan met the woman at the intersection of East Paige Avenue and Third Street NE. The woman’s husband, Justice J. Oney, found them there. According to police reports, Oney pepper-sprayed Nathan and then shot him multiple times. When officers responded to calls of gunfire, they found Nathan on the sidewalk with several gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Cleveland Clinic Akron General Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:19 a.m.
Police located Justice Oney, then 24, a short distance from the scene and took him into custody without incident. A firearm was recovered from the vehicle he was in. Oney was initially charged with murder and booked into the Barberton City Jail. He was later indicted on charges that included murder, felonious assault, and abduction. After his bond was reduced, Oney was released from jail to await trial, a decision that caused his family great distress.
In July 2026, a bench trial began before Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas. Prosecutors argued that Oney created the confrontation, was the aggressor, and that the shooting was murder. The defense argued that Oney acted in self-defense, stating that Nathan was armed with a knife. During the trial, testimony revealed that Nathan and Oney’s wife had been involved in a romantic relationship, a fact Oney said he did not learn until after his arrest.
On August 6, 2026, after hearing testimony from both sides, Judge Rowlands found Justice Oney not guilty on all charges. The judge concluded that Oney had acted in self-defense.
