Isreal, 23, was accused of killing Warren County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Dulle during a high-speed chase last May.
Following closing arguments, the jury began deliberating around 3:45 p.m. the fate of Isreal, who was accused of felony murder and eight other felony offenses, with gun specifications on some of the offenses.
The 10-woman and two-man jury found him guilty on all charges except for one count of felonious assault.
He faces a mandatory sentence for the murder charge of 16 years to life in prison. Warren County Common Pleas Judge James Flannery will impose the remainder of the sentence at a hearing set for 1:30 p.m. today .
As the verdict was announced, Abbie Dulle - the widow of the deputy - was being held by a friend and other friends and family were in tears.
Ed Dulle, the deputy’s father, said he was not sure why the jury did not render a guilty verdict on the second count of felonious assault.
“Whatever they do to him doesn’t bring back our son or Abbie’s husband,” he said.
Sheriff Larry Sims agreed the verdicts were just and that it would “absolutely” will help with closure for his department in moving forward after Dulle’s death.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said “it’s tragedy all the way around. It was senseless and he (Isreal) made a serious of very bad decisions that affected so many lives, including his own family.
“This isn’t something to celebrate and I hope for the rest of my career I don’t have another case like this,” he said. “It’s not a happy feeling .... There are no winners no matter what we do in the courtroom at the end of the day.”
Isreal, who testified on his own behalf Monday morning, was accused of eluding police in a chase May 10 at speeds of more than 100 mph before he struck and killed Dulle with the car he was driving. Dulle had just deployed a tire deflation device at the intersection of U.S. 42 and Utica Road before he was struck.
Isreal testified he was at the Take A Break lounge in Middletown and eventually stole the 2001 black Cadillac before Dulle was killed.
He said before he headed to Dayton to “take care of some business,” he stopped at where he was staying to pick up a gun he recently bought from someone off the street. Isreal also said he made a stop to talk with a female friend before going to Franklin.
“The officer got behind me and I made the decision to run,” he said. “I didn’t want to get arrested.”
Isreal also admitted that there was no one named “J.J.” driving and he was the one operating the car and was going “a hundred something.”
The 18-mile chase on Ohio 73 east to U.S. 42 south originated in Franklin.
Isreal said he remembered trying to turn right to go south on to U.S. 42, a four-lane highway, but couldn’t make the turn and ended up going south in the northbound lanes of the highway.
He said he saw a police officer driving north and into his lane. Isreal said the police officer ended up turning down a side road to avoid a crash.
“I was trying to get away,” he said.
Isreal said after the highway went back to two lanes there was a dip in the road and he lost control of the car and it started flipping. He said after the crash, he got out of the car and started running, later hiding in some nearby woods.
Isreal testified he never saw Dulle at the intersection.
He said he was not trying to hurt anybody during the chase.
“I was thinking I could get away and no one would get hurt,” Isreal said.
During closing arguments, Assistant Prosecutor John Arnold said Isreal did not intend to slow down or brake the car and was using the car as a deadly weapon.
“All he had to do was shut it down, slow it down and get into the proper lanes,” Arnold said. “At 120 mph or more, it’s inevitable that someone was going to get hurt...
Isreal’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, said the evidence does not support the charges of felony murder or felonious assault.
“It’s clear he’s guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, failure to comply, receiving stolen property and for having a gun,” Bennett said.
He said Isreal was not aiming at the deputies on U.S. 42 and pointed out there were no attempt to strike any of the other officers involved or the passing civilian cars.
“You have to look at his motivation,” Bennett said. “He was trying to escape apprehension and arrest. Marcus Isreal didn’t cause or attempt to cause physical harm.”
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