TOLEDO, Ohio — The Lucas County Coroner's Office has ruled the death of Curtis Marshall, who died after being assaulted inside of his home in east Toledo late Tuesday night, a homicide caused by blunt head and neck trauma.
A 15-year-old juvenile and Ronnie Kanavel, 21, have been arrested on murder charges in the killing on Licking Street near Front Street, according to a press release from the Toledo Police Department. Toledo Municipal Court documents show Kanavel has been charged with murder and felonious assault.
During a Thursday morning arraignment, a judge set Kanavel's bond at a total of $1 million for the two counts. He is due back in court on Oct. 31 for a preliminary hearing.
It is WTOL 11 policy to not name juvenile suspects unless they are charged as adults. The teen suspect is due in Juvenile court for a hearing on Nov. 7.
According to a Toledo police lieutenant, officers arrived at the scene around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday and found Marshall, 57, who was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries shortly after midnight.
A court document states Kanavel allegedly assaulted Marshall with his "hands and feet". After the victim was knocked unconscious, Kanavel fled the scene, police said.
Kanavel is pictured below:
Marshall's wife and young children were inside the home during the time of the assault and were taken in for questioning, according to TPD.
A few neighbors were also taken in for questioning.
A neighbor who called 911 told WTOL 11 she is a relative of one of the attackers. She said she received a call from her sister-in-law asking for help from her brother to go break up what she thought was a simple fight.
"I screamed for my brother, I told him to go and check and then he came back and ... my brother is a big Irishman, OK? He came back in, completely panicked, completely white, 'he's dead. They killed him,'" the neighbor said.
Now she said she doesn't know what's next for the neighborhood after an incident like this.
"We got people moving out left and right and now someone was murdered in their own home. What does that say?"
Toledo City Council member Theresa Gadus, who represents the neighborhood where the incident happened, provided WTOL 11 with the following statement:
"Licking Street is part of the Garfield Neighborhood and has an active neighborhood plan. One Voice for East Toledo community builder Gary Lenhart hosts monthly neighborhood meetings in which several Licking St neighbors attend. Officer Nasser our community officer is also very attentive in the area.
We recognize this is a tragic event but the people of East Toledo are hard working and resilient and we support each other when something like this happens. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr. Marshall."
What led up to the assault is unknown at this time but police believe the family knows the suspects.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to call or text Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include the age of the victim and information on the suspects per a newly-released Toledo police report and press release. This story has also been edited to update the spelling of a suspect's name, which was misspelled in a Toledo police press release.