Austin Tiller, 20, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, was shot and killed in Ravenna on January 7, 2017. The shooting took place at an apartment complex on Woodgate Boulevard and also claimed the life of 24-year-old Brian Brack of Canton; a 21-year-old Ravenna woman was wounded in the same incident.

Authorities arrested 26-year-old Javon Thomas of Akron and charged him with murder. Thomas said he acted in self-defense, but a court found him guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of felonious assault. In November 2017 he received a 36-years-to-life sentence, though an appeals court later ordered a new trial on the question of whether the jury should have been instructed on the castle doctrine rather than duty to retreat.

Tiller’s family and friends described him as kind and passionate; he enjoyed snowboarding, comic books, music, and playing the guitar. Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Ravenna police.