TOLEDO, Ohio — A Toledo man was convicted for his involvement in the death of a 20-year-old man who was found shot and burning in a car in east Toledo in 2023.
Alexander Perez, 32, withdrew his previous pleas of not guilty on Sept. 27 and pleaded guilty to arson and abuse of a corpse. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday.
The body of Josiah Gill was discovered in a car that was on fire in a grassy area under the Veterans Glass City Skyway Bridge early in the morning of Nov. 9, 2023. Crews had to extinguish the blaze before they could reach Gill's remains.
An autopsy later revealed that Gill had died from a gunshot wound to the head. According to court records, Perez set the car on fire with Gill in the backseat.
Kristaun Self, who was 16 years old at the time of Gill's death, was arrested in Alabama in February and will be tried as an adult in Gill's death. A Lucas County grand jury indicted him in July on the following charges:
- Murder
- Aggravated murder
- Aggravated robbery
- Aggravated arson
- Felonious assault
- Tampering with evidence
- Arson
- Abuse of corpse
Self is scheduled to go on trial beginning Nov. 18.
The mother of Josiah, Bonnie Gill, spoke to WTOL 11 in February and said her son did not know either suspect. She said an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip led to Self's murder charge and arrest in Alabama.
"I want them both to fry," Bonnie said. "Absolutely. Eye for an eye."