2 men acquitted of murder charges in connection with fatal shooting in 2023 – WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio

DAYTON – Two men were acquitted of murder charges last week, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court records.

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Riyadah Pate, 20, and Lawrence Davis, 23, were acquitted of two murder charges and two aggravated assault charges in connection with a burglary and fatal shooting in Dayton, according to court documents. The firearms information included in those charges was also dropped.

According to a previous report from News Center 7, Pate and Davis went to an apartment in the 300 block of Superior Avenue on June 4 with 38-year-old Kevin Jones and a fourth, unidentified man.

Eventually the men entered the apartment and a shootout ensued.

Jones was shot. According to an earlier report from News Center 7, he was found dead in the hallway outside the apartment.

>> PHOTOS: 1 dead, 4 others shot in Dayton apartment

Four other people were injured in the shooting.

According to court documents, attorneys for Davis and Pate asked for acquittal during their trial last week.

The judge pronounced the acquittal on the grounds: “The court concluded that the evidence was legally insufficient to support a conviction…”

Both Davis and Pate still face two murder charges and several other charges, and their trial is scheduled to begin in January.

News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.

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