The unauthorized use of a motor vehicle conviction is first-degree misdemeanor.
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
A second domestic violence and a having weapons while under disability charge are pending via a bench trial, or trial by judge. A verdict has not been issued on the remaining two charges as of Monday.
Cunigan is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 29.
He’s accused of killing 32-year-old Precious Taste and 16-year-old Deante Johnson on May 22, 2024.
“Ms. Taste had a disagreement with Mr. Cunigan Jr. about her vehicle and she advised him that she did not want to be with him anymore,” a Dayton Municipal Court affidavit read.
Cunigan reportedly said he was going to get her car keys and asked her not to call police.
When he returned, he pushed in her bedroom window and spoke to her before pulling out a gun and shooting into the window, according to court records.
Johnson was struck by the gunfire and killed.
“Mr. Cunigan then entered the bedroom window and chased Ms. Taste through the house,” the affidavit read. “Ms. Taste was shot several times by Mr. Cunigan and succumbed to her injuries.”
She was four and a half months pregnant. Taste and Cunigan had twin daughters who were home at the time of the shooting, according to Dayton police.
Cunigan left the scene and drove to Pinewood Gardens apartments in Trotwood, according to court records. He was reportedly driven to the Northcrest Apartments and changed clothes.
He was arrested after homicide detectives and the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team tracked him to Cleveland. He was arrested with the assistance of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and U.S. Marshals Service.
Cunigan was on parole at the time for a 2022 felonious assault conviction for stabbing Taste, according to police.
Anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse or violence can contact the Artemis Center online at artemiscenter.org or call 937-461-HELP (4357).
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