Summit County, Ohio, home to the city of Akron, has witnessed some of the most notorious criminal cases in American history. From serial killers to mass murderers, the county's legal system has prosecuted crimes that have shocked the nation and left lasting impacts on the community.
Jeffrey Dahmer: A Serial Killer's First Murder
Perhaps the most infamous criminal connection to Summit County is serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who committed his first murder in Bath Township in 1978. Dahmer grew up in Bath Township after moving to the area with his parents at age eight, graduating from Revere High School before committing his first killing.
On June 18, 1978, just after his high school graduation, Dahmer picked up 18-year-old Steven Hicks of Coventry Township, who was hitchhiking after attending a concert. Dahmer took Hicks to his childhood home on West Bath Road, where he murdered him. This murder would remain unsolved for 13 years until Dahmer's arrest in Milwaukee in 1991, where he confessed to 17 murders total.
In 1992, Dahmer was brought back to Summit County to plead guilty to Hicks' murder, allowing the victim's family to express their emotions in court. A civil lawsuit filed by Hicks' mother resulted in a wrongful death judgment against Dahmer. Dahmer was later killed in a Wisconsin prison in November 1994, beaten to death by a fellow inmate.
The Wendy Offredo and Dawn McCreery Murders (1986)
On September 1, 1986, Richard Cooey and Clinton Dickens committed one of Summit County's most brutal crimes when they threw chunks of concrete off the Stoner Street Bridge onto traffic below. One chunk struck the vehicle of University of Akron student Wendy Offredo, 21, who was traveling with fellow student Dawn McCreery, 20.
Pretending to help the stranded women, Cooey, then 19, and Dickens, 17, kidnapped them and took them to a field behind Rolling Acres Mall where they raped, stabbed, and tortured them for three and a half hours before killing them. Cooey was eventually turned in to authorities after bragging about the murders to friends, and was convicted on November 14, 1986, receiving a death sentence. Cooey was executed on October 14, 2008, while Dickens, who was a minor at the time, received a life sentence.
Stanley Ford: Summit County's Deadliest Killer
Stanley Ford holds the grim distinction of being convicted of more murders than anyone in Summit County history. Between 2016 and 2017, Ford intentionally set three fires in his Akron neighborhood on Fultz Street, killing nine people total.
The first fire occurred in April 2016, killing Lindell Lewis, 65, and his girlfriend Gloria Jean Hart, 66. The deadliest fire came in May 2017 at 693 Fultz Street, where seven people perished: Dennis Huggins, 35, Angela Boggs, 38, and their five children—Cameron, 1; Alivia, 3; Kyle, 5; Daisia, 6; and Jared Boggs, 14.
Prosecutors argued that Ford believed the occupants of one home he burned were gamblers, alcoholics, and homosexuals, and that he claimed to be an angel sent from God to protect his neighborhood. Surveillance video proved crucial to the case, with prosecutors using footage showing a man they identified as Ford attempting to set fires.
In September 2021, a jury found Ford guilty of 26 of 29 charges, including 22 counts of aggravated murder. Judge Christine Croce sentenced Ford to nine consecutive life sentences without parole, plus 21 additional years for attempted aggravated murder. Ford maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings.
The Black Hand Gang and Early 20th Century Crime
Summit County's criminal history extends back to the early 1900s with organized crime. The Black Hand gang, led by Don Rosario Borgio, operated out of Akron's north side, running extortion rackets targeting gambling establishments, brothels, and wealthy Italian citizens in the North Hill neighborhood.
In 1918, when Akron police aggressively raided Borgio's operations, he ordered the murder of all police officers in the city, offering a $250 reward for each one killed. This led to the murders of Officers Guy Norris, Edward Costigan, Joe Hunt, and Gethin Richards.
The 1900 Riot
On August 22, 1900, Akron experienced what may have been the worst riot in Ohio history following the abduction and sexual assault of a six-year-old girl. An angry mob gathered demanding access to the suspect, and when denied, they dynamited and burned the City Building and Courthouse, killed two children in crossfire with police, and burned down the downtown fire station.
Contemporary Challenges
Summit County continues to grapple with violent crime. In 2024, the county saw 25 murders, down slightly from 26 in 2023, representing a significant decline from the peak of 50 murders in 2020. The 2022 police shooting of Jayland Walker, where officers fired more than 90 times at the 25-year-old man during a foot chase, sparked widespread protests and led to the creation of a permanent police oversight board in Akron.
Cold Cases
Summit County has numerous unsolved murders that continue to haunt investigators and families, including the 1987 rape and murder of Janice Christensen on the Summit County Bike and Hike Trail, the 1991 disappearance of 17-year-old Melissa Collins and her baby daughter Jasmine, and the 1980 stabbing death of Marine Jeff Sauber at a drive-in theater.
The cases of Ruth Guthrie and Tommy Sumerix, two youths who went missing within a week of each other in the 1960s and whose remains were found a year later, remain unsolved nearly 60 years later.
Conclusion
These cases represent just a fraction of the criminal history that has shaped Summit County's justice system. From historic riots and organized crime to modern serial killers and mass murderers, the county's courts have confronted some of Ohio's most challenging and tragic cases, leaving indelible marks on the community and the families forever affected by these crimes.