Dayton man sentenced to 25 years in double homicide

A Dayton man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter and other charges in connection with a double homicide in November 2016.

Davion L. Lyons, 26, had been indicted on six counts of aggravated murder among 24 total counts in the Nov. 29, 2016 shooting deaths of John Dixon, 40, and Donald Nesbit, 56, in a Victor Ave. residence.

On Nov. 1, 2017, Lyons and prosecutors reached a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, felonious assault and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. The other counts were dismissed, according to court records.

Al Law, Nesbit’s nephew, called Lyons’ involvement a “hideous, heartless act of double homicide.”

RELATED: Plea deal reached in double homicide case

Law asked that Lyons someday apologize to the victims, including Dixon’s “children, who hid as the very gunshots they heard killed their precious father.”

Dixon’s ex-wife, Olivia Key, and wife, Natalie Deselms, both made statements to Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara Gorman.

“Every morning, when they wake up, they know that they’re not going to hear his voice,” said Key, who shared four children with Dixon during their 17-year marriage. “They know that they can’t call him on the phone.”

Deselms, who had two children with Dixon in eight years together, held a picture of Dixon and told Lyons, “You came in my house and you took mine. You took mine away from me. Look at it. Look.

“Do you see that? Do you know what you’ve done to those kids right there? That little boy, he made it to the kitchen to see his dad on the floor.”

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Deselms told Lyons, “Six children don’t get to hug their dad on Christmas. They don’t get to call their dad on his birthday.”

Given a chance to address the court, Lyons said, “With all due respect to the victims’ families, I’m not unsympathetic. I’m not standing here like I just don’t care.

“But since Day 1, I said I didn’t do this. Whatever closure that brings, what justice that brings, I don’t know, but the person that really did this is still out there. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

Gorman sentenced Lyons to 11 years apiece on the involuntary manslaughter counts and three years for firearm specifications for 25 years total. The other counts of aggravated robbery (11 years) and felonious assault (8 years) were to run concurrently to the manslaughter counts.

Lyons earned 335 days of jail-time credit. He also was ordered to pay restitution of $7,780.28 for Dixon’s funeral costs and $6,000 for Nesbit’s funeral costs.

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“To stand here today after listening to the victims’ family and say you didn’t do it, is a total act of cowardice,” Gorman said. “Think about that while you’re in prison.”

A second suspect, Lavelle Broadnax, aka Ryan Keith Thompson-Curry, was arrested in connection with the double homicide, but was released from jail. The Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office said there was insufficient evidence to charge Broadnax.

Dayton Police Lt. Andrew Gillig said after the shooting that a woman also was shot during the incident and transported to Miami Valley Hospital.

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