Less than 24 hours after jury deliberations began in the trial of Stanley Ford -- the Akron man accused of killing nine in house fires on Fultz Street in Akron -- the jury has found Ford guilty on 26 of the 29 charges against him.
The group of 12 jurors found Ford guilty on all counts related to the deaths of the nine people in the Akron house fires, but not guilty on Prohibitions Concerning Companion Animals, a Jan. 23, 2017 car fire, and Aggravated Menacing. The jury made the announcement late Tuesday night. As Ford's trial was a capital murder case, the jurors will next need to deliberate on whether or not to recommend the death penalty for the Northeast Ohio man.
The jury had sequestered late Monday evening after closing statements were delivered in the Summit County Common Pleas courtroom of Judge Christine Croce.