State v. Nixon

2025 Ohio 2980
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in State v. Nixon. Read the opinion of the Court — 2022 Ohio 4467
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided August 20, 2025·No. 31307 & 31308·Published

Opinion

[Cite as State v. Nixon, 2025-Ohio-2980.]

STATE OF OHIO ) IN THE COURT OF APPEALS )ss: NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COUNTY OF SUMMIT )

STATE OF OHIO C.A. Nos. 31307 31308 Appellee

v. APPEAL FROM JUDGMENT QUINTON NIXON ENTERED IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS Appellant COUNTY OF SUMMIT, OHIO CASE Nos. CR 2022 06 2276 CR 2022 09 3103

DECISION AND JOURNAL ENTRY

Dated: August 20, 2025

STEVENSON, Presiding Judge.

{¶1} This is a consolidated appeal. Defendant-Appellant Quinton Nixon appeals the

judgments of the Summit County Court of Common Pleas that found him guilty of improperly

handling firearms in a motor vehicle, murder, felonious assault, and tampering with evidence. Mr.

Nixon does not challenge his convictions for improperly handling firearms and tampering with

evidence. This Court affirms.

I.

{¶2} In Case No. 2022-06-2276, Mr. Nixon was charged with one count of improperly

handling firearms in a motor vehicle in violation of R.C. 2923.16(B), a felony of the fourth degree,

that also included a specification for forfeiture of the weapon. That charge stemmed from an

incident that occurred on June 5, 2022. 2

{¶3} In Case No. 2022-09-3102, Mr. Nixon was charged with one count of murder in

violation of R.C. 2903.02(A) with a three-year firearm specification; one count of murder in

violation of R.C. 2903.02(B) (felony murder) with a three-year firearm specification; one count of

felonious assault in violation of R.C. 2903.11(A)(2), a felony of the second degree, with a three-

year firearm specification; one count of having weapons while under disability in violation of R.C.

2923.13(A)(2), a felony of the third degree; and tampering with evidence in violation of R.C.

2921.12(A)(1), a felony of the third degree. Those charges stemmed from an incident that occurred

on July 25, 2022.

{¶4} Mr. Nixon pleaded not guilty and the matter proceeded to a bench trial. Prior to

trial, the State dismissed the charge for having weapons while under disability. Regarding the

matter on appeal, the State presented testimony from five eyewitnesses, four officers and two

detectives from the Akron Police Department (“APD”), the Summit County Medical Examiner,

and one member of the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (“SWAT”). During his case in chief,

Mr. Nixon testified in his own defense. Mr. Nixon also recalled one of the State’s eyewitnesses

and presented testimony from another APD detective. Numerous exhibits were admitted into

evidence, including photos, police body camera footage, surveillance footage, police interviews

with the witnesses and Mr. Nixon, the autopsy report, phone call records, email and text messages,

BCI reports, and drawings of the scene.

{¶5} The testimony and evidence revealed the following. On July 25, 2022, seven

people were present at an apartment located in Akron, Ohio: Angel M., who leased the apartment

and resided there; Ron C., a friend of Angel’s who was also residing there; Ron’s friend, Ashley

B., who had been there a couple days; Adam W., a friend of Angel’s who had been visiting for a

few weeks; Mr. Nixon, who had been there a few days; Brian F. who was visiting that day; and 3

Brian’s girlfriend T.W., the victim in this case, who came with Brian. They were all socializing

and using methamphetamine (“meth”). Brian was the only one present that knew T.W. Adam and

Brian were close friends. Initially, there were no arguments or threats being made.

{¶6} Angel, Ron, and Ashley testified to essentially the same sequence of events. When

Ron and Angel returned to the apartment from a short trip to the store, T.W. was on the couch, and

Adam, Mr. Nixon, and Brian were in the kitchen. Ashley was in Ron’s bedroom at the end of the

hallway. Angel and Ron went into Angel’s bedroom to hang lights. Approximately half an hour

later, Ashley, Ron, and Angel all heard a commotion and when they came out of their rooms, saw

that Mr. Nixon was holding T.W.’s hair or some part of her upper torso in one hand and was

pointing a gun at T.W.’s head with his other hand. Mr. Nixon had T.W. pinned against the wall

and they were tussling. Angel, Ron, and Ashley returned to their rooms and heard gunshots. The

first bullet came through Angel’s bedroom wall past her face, ricocheted off the TV, and ended up

in the bedroom wall. Ron was grazed in the chin. More gunshots went off and they could hear

glass breaking and items being knocked around in the living room. When they opened their

bedroom doors again, they saw Brian and Mr. Nixon fighting. Ashley ran into Angel’s room with

Ron and Angel. Brian, Adam, and Ashley then ran into Ron’s room, jumped off the balcony in

succession, and fled the scene. Mr. Nixon ran down the hallway with T.W.’s purse and jumped

off the balcony after Ashley, Brian, and Adam had already left. As Brian was leaving, he told

Angel to call the police and report that Mr. Nixon had killed T.W. Neither Ashley, Ron, nor Angel

had heard anyone threaten Mr. Nixon that day.

{¶7} According to Angel, Mr. Nixon had been talking like he thought people were out

to get him and everyone tried to get him to go home and get some sleep. Ron overheard Angel tell

Mr. Nixon to leave, but Mr. Nixon refused to do so. Prior to hearing the commotion, Ashley 4

overheard Brian talking about a spy app called “[w]histle, or whisper” that she was familiar with,

so she went into the living room and joined that conversation. After hearing the commotion and

gunshots from Ron’s bedroom, but prior to seeing Brian and Mr. Nixon fighting, she heard Mr.

Nixon yelling that T.W. was the police.

{¶8} Brian and Adam’s testimony was also similar and is summarized as follows. Brian

went to Angel’s apartment with T.W. to visit with Adam, who had recently moved back to Akron

from Alabama and was staying with Angel, a family friend. Adam always carried a 9mm Smith &

Wesson gun, but on the day in question, he never had it out and never threatened anyone with it.

Adam introduced Brian to Mr. Nixon. Brian and T.W. were sitting on the couch in the living room

and everyone was laughing and joking. T.W. was scrolling on her phone. Adam, Brian, and Mr.

Nixon were talking about the whisper app but Adam was not interested and went to the kitchen.

{¶9} While sitting on the couch, Brian began to look at his phone and T.W. was going

through her purse looking for something. T.W. laid her gun on the table while she continued

looking through her purse. T.W. did not wave the gun around, point it at anyone, or threaten

anyone. Brian then heard T.W. gasp and saw that Mr. Nixon had grabbed T.W.’s gun from the

table. Mr. Nixon and T.W. began tussling for the gun. Mr. Nixon kept asking if T.W. was the

police. Brian started yelling at Mr. Nixon to calm down, saying “[y]ou’re tripping[,] [p]ut the gun

down[,] [r]elax.” Brian described Mr. Nixon as “out of it” and “in another world[.]” Mr. Nixon

grabbed T.W. and dragged her over the table. T.W. was trying to get away from Mr. Nixon. Mr.

Nixon then started firing shots. Brian attempted to push Mr. Nixon out of the way and bit him on

the face but could not wrestle the gun away from him.

{¶10} Adam testified that after he went to the kitchen, he heard Brian yelling, then heard

gunshots. He went around the corner while holding his gun and saw Mr. Nixon holding a gun and 5

standing by T.W. who was motionless. Adam pointed his gun at Mr. Nixon and Brian attacked

Mr. Nixon.

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