Pamela Mignano pointed a photo of her granddaughter toward the young woman’s killer as he was escorted from a courtroom on Thursday.
“I want you to remember this picture every day of your life,” Mignano said to 30-year-old Kevin Ecker. “I hope it burns into your retinas.”
Moments earlier, Ecker had been convicted of killing 21-year-old Jessica Canada Holmes by selling her the drugs that took her life in March 2015.
A Summit County jury found Ecker guilty of involuntary manslaughter and 12 other charges related to dealing drugs — including heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine and marijuana.
Ecker was the first person that a Summit County jury has found guilty of manslaughter related to a death caused by a drug overdose. Twenty-two people have been convicted of manslaughter for drug sales in Summit County, but every other defendant has pleaded guilty rather than take the charges to trial.
The case was closely watched by defense attorneys. If the jury had found Ecker not guilty, the case could have put a damper on prosecutors pursuing similar charges against other defendants.
Ecker was convicted of selling Holmes fentanyl, an opiate similar to heroin but much more potent and fatal. Holmes, who was a drug addict, died on March 22, 2015, and police traced the drug back to Ecker using text message records. Ecker refused to tell police who his supplier was.
Judge Judy Hunter will sentence Ecker on July 22. He faces mandatory prison time.
Ecker’s attorney, Scott Rilley, said his client intends to appeal the case, though he will not be Ecker’s attorney on appeal.
“We’re disappointed [with the verdict],” Rilley said, “but we’ll see what the court of appeals has to say.”
After the verdict was read, Holmes’ family members said they were relieved the jury convicted Ecker. Holmes’ mother and grandmother broke out into tears of joy almost immediately.
Angela Holmes, Jessica’s mother, said the verdict might send a message to drug dealers.
“As a society, we need to stand together and let these dealers know we’re done,” she said. “We’re done putting up with them on our streets, stealing the lives of our loved ones.”
She said the verdict is justice served — but it doesn’t change what happened.
“No matter what the verdict is, it’s not going to change anything for us,” she said. “It’s a pain that doesn’t go away. It’s an emptiness, a void, that doesn’t ever fade.”
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.