Amari Rashad Gooding, 20, of Lima, Ohio, was shot outside the Main Street Irish Pub in downtown Lima during the early morning hours of October 8, 2016, and later died at St. Rita’s Medical Center. A 2015 graduate of Elida High School, he worked at DTR Industries in Bluffton and volunteered in the sound department at Cornerstone Harvest Church.

Authorities arrested 20-year-old Cory L. Jackson of Lima and charged him with murder and aggravated robbery, both carrying firearm specifications. Prosecutors’ case relied heavily on the testimony of Trey Ackles, who said Jackson robbed him at gunpoint in the pub parking lot and then shot Amari when Amari intervened. Other witnesses gave conflicting accounts, saying Jackson did not have a gun and the confrontation escalated without a firearm.

Jackson was tried and a jury returned guilty verdicts on murder and aggravated robbery in February 2018. The court later sentenced him to life with parole eligibility after 30 years. Did anyone who knew Amari or was near Main Street Irish Pub that night come forward with information that could clarify the conflicting witness accounts?