The judge found Hayes guilty last month after a bench trial, or trial by judge, for two counts of murder; four counts of felonious assault; one count of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises; seven felony counts and seven misdemeanor counts of intimidation of a crime victim or witness; and one felony count of menacing by stalking, according to the ruling filed Oct. 12.
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Credit: Montgomery County Jail
Hayes was convicted of killing 31-year-old Springfield resident Shauna Cameron, a passenger in a Chevrolet Impala headed east the afternoon of May 8, 2022, on U.S. 35 in Riverside near the Woodman Drive exit. She was shot when Hayes fired at least twice at the car, police said.
A 29-year-old man driving the Impala and a 23-year-old passenger — a woman who previously was in a romantic relationship with Hayes — took Cameron to Miami Valley Hospital, where she died of her injuries. The other two occupants were not hurt.
The intimidation charges were “for activity of the defendant in relation to the homicide” that happened between Oct. 13, 2022, through March 28, said Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Greg Flannagan.
Prosecutors said he tried to coerce a woman to lie for him.
Defense attorney Kevin Lennen said Hayes was at odds with the driver, who had possession of a weapon and had threatened harm to Hayes before the shooting, according to a sentencing memorandum.
“Mr. Hayes has genuine remorse for the harm that he has caused,” wrote Lennen, who also said that Hayes is the father of a 1-year-old child and the child’s mother wants him to return to her and their family.
Hayes claimed self-defense and testified on his own behalf during his Oct. 2-5 trial, but the court found him “utterly incredible and not worthy of belief in any material respect,” Dankof wrote.
Cameron’s mother, Stacy Cameron, said previously that her daughter often volunteered at an area soup kitchen and was studying to become a nurse assistant at Ross Medical Education Center in Dayton, where she received a diploma and lab coat posthumously from the school. She also had attended Springfield City Schools and graduated from Opportunities for Individual Change — “OIC” — of Clark County’s Life Skills program.
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