William Lamont Dent, 23, was one of four young men shot dead in a Youngstown house in the early morning hours of September 2, 1991. Three other victims died at the scene: Alfonda Madison Sr., Eric Howard, and Theodore Wynn Jr. The bodies were found in different rooms—Madison in the kitchen, Howard and Dent in the bathroom, and Wynn in a bedroom.

Investigators determined the fatal shots were fired from Madison’s .357 revolver, recovered at the scene. A police officer located a car belonging to William James Williams, known as Flip, nearby; Williams initially told officers he and his girlfriend Jessica Cherry had been in a car accident and that their vehicle had been shot at. Williams was arrested, later convicted on multiple counts including four counts of aggravated murder, and sentenced to death; the court found the killings arose from a drug-related dispute.