Defense attorneys aren’t denying that Michael Huguley fatally stabbed his girlfriend after the two quarreled at their Akron home a year ago.
They are arguing, however, that he shouldn’t be convicted of the slew of serious charges he is facing, which include aggravated murder.
“This isn’t a whodunit,” defense attorney Eddie Sipplen said during his opening statement in Summit County Common Pleas Court Monday. “What we’re saying is that the charges brought by the state do not fit the evidence. The state is asking you to put a square peg into a round hole because they say it fits. We disagree.”
Summit County Assistant Prosecutor Brian LoPrinzi, however, told the jury that the state will prove its case, which will include the testimony of the victim’s best friend, who was in the Alphada Avenue apartment when the stabbing happened.
“I think you will find it’s like baking a cake,” LoPrinzi said. “Every one of the elements will be met by the facts.”
Huguley, 36, is charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and domestic violence for the June 23, 2015, stabbing death of Jasmine Williams, his girlfriend and the mother of his 8-month-old child. The charges carry a repeat violent offender specification.
Police say Huguley fled after the stabbing and was arrested about a month later in Cleveland.
Huguley’s trial in Judge Mary Margaret Rowlands’ courtroom is expected to last a week. Besides Sipplen, Huguley is represented by attorney Joseph Gorman.
LoPrinzi told the jurors that Williams was moving her belongings out of the apartment she shared with Huguley on the morning of June 23, with her friend Destiny Daniels helping her to load bags into a car in the parking lot.
He said Williams and Huguley began to argue and Huguley asked her, “So, you’re not going to let me see the kids?”
Huguley grabbed Williams around the neck, pulled out a large knife and started stabbing Williams in the chest, LoPrinzi said. Williams fell to her knees and Daniels tried to grab Huguley.
Huguley, who is 6 foot 7 inches tall, threw Daniels to the side, LoPrinzi said. Huguley stabbed himself in the neck and plunged the blade again into Williams, who then was lying on the ground.
Huguley ran out to his black SUV in the parking lot and drove away, not to be seen or heard from until he was arrested July 28 by Cleveland police and the U.S. Marshals Task Force, LoPrinzi said.
Daniels made a frantic phone call to 911, as did a neighbor who heard parts of the fight and aftermath, LoPrinzi said.
LoPrinzi asked for the jury’s patience and attention as the state puts on its case, which he warned will include many bloody photographs of Williams and the crime scene.
“Mr. Gorman talked about the confidence level you need to convict,” LoPrinzi said. “Sometimes, it’s not necessarily confidence level. Sometimes, you know what happened. What you need is the courage to put your name down on the verdict form. That’s what I am going to ask you to do in this case.”
Sipplen, however, told the jury at the outset that “there’s more than one side to the same set of facts.” He said police officers investigated and gathered evidence, but weren’t there when the stabbing occurred. He said the only people there were Huguley, Williams and Daniels.
“When you look at the evidence, ask, ‘Does this fit with what you know to be common sense?’ ” Sipplen said.
Sipplen said the jurors should ask themselves what Daniels saw and when she saw it and judge her credibility.
“The state cannot prove its case,” he said.
Williams’ mother and father are attending the trial. Ronald McCray, Williams’ father, described his late daughter as a beautiful person and great mother to her five children, who include the baby she had with Huguley. He said Williams’ death has been difficult for their family, with most of them emotionally unable to sit through the trial and relive their loss. He plans to provide them with updates.
“I pray to the Lord for the strength to make it through this,” he said, adding that he may have to excuse himself from the courtroom at times.
McCray said he wants to see Huguley get the maximum possible sentence.
“This guy is a murderer — he’s not a killer,” McCray said. “How do you murder the mother of your kid?”
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at 330-996-3705, swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com or on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.