Giacumo Desoto

Giacumo Desoto was a 33-year-old man from Youngstown, Ohio, remembered by his loved ones as a free spirit who loved helping people in need. A father, he enjoyed building things, fishing, hunting, and camping with his family. He was born in Painesville and had also lived in Brooklyn, Ohio.

On the evening of September 29, 2022, Desoto was in Cleveland’s Mt. Pleasant neighborhood. Around 5:40 p.m., a ShotSpotter gunshot detection system alerted police to gunfire on the 12700 block of Signet Avenue. When officers arrived, they found Desoto on the ground next to his motorcycle. He had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics transported him to University Hospitals, but he was pronounced deceased. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed his identity.

The investigation quickly progressed, and police identified a suspect. The following day, authorities in Aurora arrested Rendell Russell Buckhalter, a 50-year-old man from Kent, in connection with the shooting. Cleveland Municipal Court records show that Buckhalter was charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder.

Following his arrest, Buckhalter was arraigned and ordered held on a $1 million bond. The case proceeded to a jury trial, where Rendell Buckhalter was convicted of murder and felonious assault for the killing of Giacumo Desoto.