Marvin Rocker

Marvin Rocker Jr., an 18-year-old Black man from Akron, Ohio, was a young person his mother remembered as a "good kid" who made an impact on many lives. His mother, Deshawn Holmes, later spoke of the unbearable pain of his loss, a tragedy made heavier by the fact that Marvin's father had also been murdered in 2015. She said that while her son only lived a fraction of his life, he used that time well.

On the evening of Sunday, March 12, 2023, Akron police received calls about an exchange of gunfire around 10 p.m. involving several people near the intersection of Lovers Lane and Talbot Avenue. The next morning, at approximately 11:20 a.m. on March 13, Marvin was found unresponsive in a parking lot in the 1000 block of Lovers Lane. He had died at the scene from a gunshot wound to the chest.

Investigators collected numerous shell casings and other evidence from the area of the shootout. The case progressed as police developed a suspect, Darrin Welch. They were able to link him to the crime through DNA evidence found at the scene as well as Welch's own recorded statement.

In April 2024, Welch, then 18, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of felonious assault for his role in Marvin Rocker's death. He was also facing charges for another fatal shooting that occurred in Akron in August 2023.

The case came to a conclusion in January 2025. Darrin Welch, by then 19 years old, pleaded guilty to one count of murder for killing Marvin Rocker. He was sentenced to life in prison. Following the sentencing, Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich stated, “Gun violence has no place in our community. Too many lives have been taken far too soon because of these senseless acts.”