Ethan Liming: Who Was He? How Die He Die?

The parking lot of an Akron school turned into a crime scene in the summer of 2022 when Ethan Liming met his untimely and unfortunate demise. The tragedy shocked the entire community while the grief-stricken family pursued justice for their deceased teenager. In the episode titled ‘One Punch Killer or Protective Brother?’ of A&E’s ‘Accused: Did I Do It?,’ the focus is on the circumstances that led to Ethan’s death and the complicated investigation that followed. The documentary also features accounts from the victim’s loved ones and officials linked to the case.

Ethan Liming Had High Hopes For the Life Ahead of Him

Ethan David Liming was welcomed into the world by Jennifer and Bill Liming on August 1, 2004. However, things didn’t work out between the couple, and they got divorced. When his father married a woman named Cyndi Krause Liming, Ethan and his brother, Noah, gained a stepmother in her and three stepsiblings in Christian, McKenna, and Hailey Pfeiffer. Ethan was an outdoorsy and active teenager whose life revolved around playing different sports, including football, baseball, and basketball. Besides being a talented athlete, the Firestone High School student also ensured he was there for his friends through thick and thin.

According to his best friend, Ethan never focused on superficial things and cared about people’s hearts. Given his compassionate and kind-hearted nature, he could light up even the dullest of rooms. During the summer, he used to help less fortunate people in any way he could. A rising senior at Akron’s Firestone Community Learning Center, Ethan was described as “a force of love and kindness” as he supported and cared for his cousins like a big brother. With a bright future ahead of him, he aspired to achieve his dreams and make his loved ones proud. Unfortunately, before he could fulfill his potential, fate intervened and cut his life short.

An Altercation With Another Group Led to Ethan Liming’s Demise

On the night of June 2, 2022, 17-year-old Ethan Liming and his friends were playing with gel pellet guns in the parking lot of the I Promise School in Akron. There, two brothers — Deshawn and Tyler Stafford — and their cousin, Donovon Jones, were busy playing basketball with a young, unidentified woman. According to reports, Ethan and his friends opened fire at the trio with their pellet guns, which led to an altercation between the two groups. During the fight, he was allegedly punched in the face before getting knocked out and hitting his head on the pavement.

When Ethan became unconscious, the police and emergency crews were notified of the situation around 11 pm. As soon as they arrived at the scene, the paramedics found the bright teenager unresponsive and not breathing. Thus, he was reportedly pronounced dead at 11:05 pm. As per the police, besides having a black eye, Ethan also had a shoe print on the right of his chest, indicating that someone had stomped on him. The Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that the cause of his death was multiple blunt force head injuries as he struck his head on asphalt during the fight.

The Three Accused Were Acquitted of Murder Charges

Not long after the killing, the three men, Deshawn, Tyler, and Donovan, were taken into custody and held on a $1 million bond. By early August 2022, Tyler (charged with one count of assault and one count of involuntary manslaughter) and Donovan (charged with two counts of assault) had their bond reduced to $5,000, while Deshawn (charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of assault, and one count of aggravated assault) had his bond set at $25,000. Although they were charged with murder, the trio was indicted on lesser charges due to a lack of concrete evidence.

During the trial, the defense attorneys argued that the witnesses failed to give consistent accounts of what transpired in the dark parking lot. Claiming that the accused acted in self-defense, the defense said the onus was on the prosecution to prove otherwise. Ultimately, the Stafford brothers were found not guilty of a third-degree felony involuntary manslaughter charge in connection to Ethan’s death. However, Deshawn was convicted of aggravated assault, a fourth-degree felony, and assault, a first-degree misdemeanor. Meanwhile, Tyler was convicted of misdemeanor assault, while 21-year-old Donovan was found guilty of two counts of assault. Ultimately, Deshawn received an 18-month prison sentence, Tyler was ordered to spend six months behind bars, and Donovan was given a 180-day suspended jail sentence.