Heather Elise Harris, a 35-year-old White woman from Conneaut, Ohio, was remembered by friends and family as a strong, determined, and deeply compassionate person who loved fiercely. A friend described her as a "social butterfly" with an outgoing personality, cherished by her mother, Cindy, sister, Megan, and other loved ones for her warmth.
In the early morning hours of September 25, 2024, Harris’s life was cut short.
Around 12:45 a.m., her live-in boyfriend of three years, 45-year-old Nathan Sumner, walked into the Conneaut Police Department and confessed that he had just shot and killed her. Officers responded to the couple’s home in the 100 block of Nickel Plate Avenue, where they discovered Harris’s body on a couch. Medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene from fatal gunshot wounds.
Sumner was arrested and initially charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty at his first court appearance, and an Ashtabula County Grand Jury later indicted him. In the days that followed, the community gathered for a candlelight vigil outside the home where Harris died, sharing memories and calling for justice. A year later, friends and family held another vigil to honor her and ensure she would not be forgotten.
The case proceeded in Ashtabula County Common Pleas Court. Nathan Sumner ultimately changed his plea to guilty of aggravated murder in the death of Heather Harris. A judge sentenced him to serve 23 years to life in prison. The case is now closed.
