On the morning of June 17, 2022, neighbors on Montgomery Avenue in Ashland, Kentucky, called 911 after hearing gunfire. Responding officers went to a duplex where they made a devastating discovery. Inside, they found two young sisters, Selina Easter, a 20-year-old White woman, and Summer Algarakhuly, 18, who had both been shot to death. Also in the home was Summer’s infant child, who was physically unharmed. Both Selina and Summer were mothers, and their family described them as their best friends, just starting their lives.
The investigation immediately pointed to John Tooson, who was 32 at the time and had been in a two-year relationship with Selina. Police determined that after the killings, Tooson stole Selina’s car and fled 260 miles to Toledo, Ohio, a city where he also had a residence. The U.S. Marshals Service and Toledo Police tracked him to a house on Utah Street, leading to a standoff that lasted for several hours.
As police closed in, Tooson walked out of the house and shot himself. He survived the self-inflicted wound and was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
After recovering from his injuries, Tooson was extradited to Kentucky in July 2022 and held at the Boyd County Detention Center. He was charged with two counts of murder, first-degree wanton endangerment for leaving the infant at the scene, theft of an automobile, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and being a persistent felony offender. Prosecutors later upgraded the theft charge to first-degree robbery. The case proceeded slowly through the court system over the next few years.
In June 2026, the case reached its conclusion when John Tooson, then 36, pleaded guilty to all charges. Prosecutors stated that he had "terrorized" the two sisters inside the apartment before killing them. During an emotional sentencing hearing, the young women’s mother and aunt delivered victim impact statements, focusing on the children who were left to grow up without their mothers. Tooson was sentenced to two life sentences for the murders, with the possibility of parole after a minimum of 25 years. He also received a 40-year sentence for the other charges, to be served at the same time. The case was officially closed in June 2026.
