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The good ole State of Ohio. My Brother John 26 yrs old was charged with 1st degree Murder! The early morning
of June 20th I got a phone call from my Mom saying she believed my brother had been shot. She had been watching the
morning news and noticed that the house my brother was staying at was on there and they were saying one was dead and one was
injured with a gunshot wound. John had been living with his 40 some yr old girlfriend. My Mom attempted to call his
girlfriend Michelle to see what was going on and got no answer. My Aunt then called area hospitals to see if John had
been taken there. He had been taken by ambulance to an area hospital and life flighted to another. He undergone
3 hours of surgery and lay there alone for hours before we even found out what had happened to him. No one had ever
tried to contact my mother. Not the police, not the hospital, not even the news. By the time we got to St. E's
where he had been life flighted too they had him stable. My husband, My Aunt and I were the first to arrive to see him.
The nurse taking us back to where he was prepared us before we even went in. She told that he did have a gunshot wound
to the face and it wasn't pretty. When I saw him for the first time I felt like throwing up. He was not conscious
and there was no possible way that he could speak due to the injuries to his face. It looked as it his lower
part of his face was gone. At that point the doctor's were not sure what was going to happen with him. We made
sure we told him we were there and we loved him no matter what happened. When he was finally coming too he
was no able to speak. He wanted to write to us. I had given him a piece of paper and a pen and the first
word he wrote to us was 'Brandon'. Brandon was 21yrs old the son of Michelle and he was the boy they pronounced
dead. We were still not sure what happened that night so when John wrote his name we told him we weren't sure what
happened to him. The doctors had decieded to transfer John to Cleveland Metro Hospital where he would be for months
and undergone MANY surgeries. By this time he was told that Brandon was dead. Before he was taken to Cleveland
the police had come in to talk to us about their theory on what happened that night. They were calling it a murder-
botched suicide. They said that John had killed Brandon and then attempted to kill himself. We
never believed that from the second they told us that. We knew there was more to it. And later on we would really
find out. Michelle posted signs and petitions all over they place wanting John prosecuted to the fullest extent
of the law. All the while she is making signs for her front yard, making her car out to be a float telling everyone
her son died a hero and was trying to save her life. Where did that come from?? We viewed the evidence.
We watched her video statement to the police and she never once said John was coming after her with a gun. While
all this is going on John was undergoing surgery after surgery. One taking 19 hours long. We were all so
drained going to Cleveland every day, and on top of all that we were wondering what really happened. John was able
to write to us so we started asking questions. He would only talk to certain people about what happened that night.
Brandon did die a hero, but not to save Michelle's life. He saved John's. John was going to commit suicide
that morning. He did get a gun out. But never to harm anyone but himself. He was arrested for
1st degree murder on Sept 29th 2006. 3 months after all that happened. Still needing surgeries, he still
had a feeding tube in, and still on heavy pain medications which they took away from him when he was booked in the County
Jail. They had set his bond at 250,000. We begged the court system to let him out, even put him on house
arrest to allow him to finish his surgeries, let him get back to being able to take of himself. They ignored
our pleas. The Warden at the County Jail told us himself he did not want John in his Jail due to his
medical needs but it was out of his hands. I feel sorry for Michelle, her family and her loss, but she in
my eyes was just at guilty as my brother. She should be in prison next to him. She killed her son also for
allowing all this to go as far as it did that morning. John took a plea bargain because he was facing 15 yrs
to life in prison. The prosecutor on the case held a meeting with us after he accepted the plea and told us
he himself believed it was an accident. He charged my brother with a gun spec charge which is 3 yrs in prison. Then
he got another 3 yrs for Involuntary Manslaughter. He is currently serving his time in Lorain Correctional.
He is doing ok but we do not believe he should be doing time for an accident. Yes maybe doing time for a gun charge
but nothing else. The evidence shows that he was telling the truth when he attempted to take his life Brandon
pulled the gun and it went off. We will continue to stand behind him and help him as he deals with being in prison.
He has never even been in trouble with the law before this happened. As for Michelle and her troubled daughter
I hope they can move on and lead a healthy life. Michelle I pray that you do not do this again and something
happen to one of your other children. You were wrong in posting flyers, signs, and petitions and ruin my brother's name.
You were just as guilty that morning as he was if not more. I have read some things on this internet that your daughter
herself has wrote and I know she even blames you, she hates you she says. I hope she can get the help she needs.
If anyone has a story or comments or just want to show support you can email me at the address below. Thank you for
your time!
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