Background: Tameisha Price (GoFundMe). Insets, top to bottom: Paris James and Jerry Scott (Lucas County Jail).
Two Ohio men have been convicted of killing a pregnant woman with whom one of them was set to have a child — but claimed he was not the father.
A jury in Lucas County, Toledo, found 37-year-old Paris James and 28-year-old Jerry Scott guilty of aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, and tampering with evidence, among other charges, in the death of Tameisha Price and her unborn child, who was to be named Malaysia, prosecutors stated.
Price, 34, was eight months pregnant and just weeks from giving birth.
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James, the baby’s father, orchestrated the killings and Scott assisted him in executing the plan. The duo murdered Price at her residence on Norton Place in Toledo on January 24, 2024. Cellphone data indicated that after committing the murders, they attempted to dispose of the firearm in a marsh, but a park ranger later discovered it during a search, according to prosecutors.
As per warrants obtained by local ABC affiliate WTVG, James informed investigators that he was “disputing his potential paternity of the child.” The Toledo Blade reported that prosecutors presented text messages between James and the victim in which he denied paternity and urged her to have an abortion. Additional texts reportedly indicated that James claimed he would support the child financially.
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Additional texts revealed conversations with another man whom James initially tried to hire to kill Price, but he turned to Scott when that plan fell through, the Blade reported.
James’ girlfriend Shatwiya Triplett, who was also pregnant at the time of the murders, is facing an obstruction charge for allegedly lying to investigators that James was with her at the time of the murders. Her case remains ongoing.
Sentencing for James and Scott is scheduled for July 28. They face up to life in prison without parole.
“We hope this verdict brings a measure of peace to the families of Tameisha and Malaysia, and I hope their memories forever live in their hearts,” Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney Julia R. Bates said in a statement. “We are grateful for the jury’s service in what was a marathon case that required careful consideration of detailed cellphone data.”
Price left behind two sons who were 16 and 13 at the time of her death.
“Tameisha was a loving, caring and giving daughter, sister, mother, and friend,” a GoFundMe page stated. “Tameisha loved the Lord. She was an amazing soul whose love profoundly impacted the lives she came in contact with.”
