• Sentencing: Judge Dennis Adkins sentenced Icesse Messiah, 30, to 24 years to life in prison, according to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court.
If she is released from prison, Messiah will be on post-release control for the rest of her life.
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
What was she convicted of?
• Found guilty: A jury found Messiah guilty of four counts of murder, two counts each of aggravated burglary and felonious assault and one count of burglary following a trial.
She was found not guilty of one count of grand theft of a motor vehicle, according to court documents.
Who was involved?
• Multiple defendants: Messiah was the fourth person sentenced in the investigation.
James Norman, Bryhana Murphy, Savon Davis and Messiah were charged in the death 26-year-old Jaykwan D. Hardy.
• Pleaded guilty: Norman, Murphy and Davis pleaded guilty to one count each of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated burglary, according to court records.
• Sentenced: Adkins sentenced Davis to 18 to 22.5 years, Norman to 25 to 30.5 years and Murphy to 18 to 23.5 years in prison.
What were they accused of?
• Body found: On March 11, 2023, Trotwood firefighters responded to a house fire at 5360 Gardendale Avenue and found Hardy dead in a bedroom, according to court records.
The Montgomery County Coroner’s Office reported Hardy had been shot multiple times.
• Burglary gone wrong: Hardy’s death stemmed from a plot to steal his things, according to Trotwood police.
A sentencing memo claimed Messiah, Davis, Murphy and Norman conspired together to steal from Hardy, but the plan went awry and resulted in his death.
They stole a safe from his house, but it only had personal documents and an empty liquor bottle, according to court documents.
The prosecution claimed the group burned Hardy’s house to try to cover up his death.
What happens next?
• Appeal: Messiah filed a notice to appeal with the Ohio Second District Court of Appeals on Oct. 14.
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