COLUMBUS: The Ohio Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of a man convicted of killing the mother of his two children and her boyfriend.
The court ruled 6-1 Thursday to reject arguments raised by attorneys for Dawud El Spaulding of Akron.
He was sentenced to death for the killings of 28-year-old Erica Singleton and 31-year-old Ernest Thomas outside Singleton’s Akron home in December 2011. Court records show a judge had granted Singleton a protection order against Spaulding at the time. Prosecutors said Spaulding stalked and terrorized Singleton before killing her.
Spaulding also was convicted in a related shooting hours earlier that left Thomas’ nephew paralyzed.
Spaulding’s appeal argued he should have had separate trials for the slayings and for shooting the nephew.
A dissent by Justice William O’Neill said Spaulding deserved new separate trials.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherry Bevan Walsh applauded the Supreme Court’s decision.
“Dawud Spaulding stalked, terrorized, and attacked Erica before he killed her. This was a brutal, calculated shooting spree that left two people dead and a third near death,” Walsh said. “This case illustrates the seriousness of domestic violence.”
Spaulding was convicted in 2012.
According to reports, Spaulding killed Singleton the day after he skipped a court hearing about the protection order. Her mother said she spoke to Singleton that morning and that she was supposed to stop by, but never did. She said she got a call from Spaulding that day asking if Singleton ever arrived, to which he laughed.
Singleton was discovered holding luggage and a purse, and Thomas was found next to his running car.