McElroy found guilty of three charges in fatal Elyria stabbing

ELYRIA — A jury deliberated for less than a day before finding an Elyria woman guilty of stabbing another woman to death during a fight inside a Middle Avenue home. Eboni McElroy, 20, was found guilty of one count of murder, one count of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence. Jurors also found McElroy not guilty of two additional counts of murder and one additional count of felonious assault in the May 8, 2020, stabbing death of 20-year-old Isis Bennett of Elyria. The jury began deliberating at 3 p.m. Thursday and stayed at the courthouse through about 7:30 p.m., when the verdict was announced, according to court officials. Lorain County Common Pleas Judge Raymond Ewers will sentence McElroy at a later date once a presentence investigation is conducted by the county's Adult Probation Department. During the weeklong trial, jurors heard testimony that Bennett and Estaban Gutierrez, whom McElroy had been dating for two years, had begun texting each other and planned to have lunch the day of Bennett's death. McElroy discovered the messages, and testified that she had again caught Gutierrez cheating on her. Testimony was heard that cheating had been a theme during the couple's two-year relationship. McElroy put up a Facebook post in the hours prior to the fatal stabbing and an online argument occurred, with McElroy, her sister, her cousin and Bennett going back and forth with invitations to fight. The women traded profanities and McElroy and her cousin also sent text messages about the matter back and forth before the online argument turned real: Bennett and her best friend, Aliyah West, drove to McElroy and Gutierrez's house at 1810 Middle Ave. shortly before 7:30 a.m. to fight McElroy. Though testimony differed on how the two women got inside the house, testimony was heard that once inside, Bennett grabbed McElroy by the hair. Jurors heard testimony that Bennett either barged in and surprised McElroy, or McElroy let or invited Bennett and West in for a mutual fight. West and McElroy both testified that Bennett was stabbed in the neck during the fight and began bleeding inside the house before West helped her out to the porch. McElroy testified she found the murder weapon in the kitchen and that it was in her hand as Bennett stood on her porch.McElroy also testified she moved furniture in her living room so there was room to fight before she suddenly found Bennett standing over her, having "bum-rushed" her. McElroy testified she started "swinging" in self-defense, and Bennett seemed to collapse and had to be helped outside. She also testified that West threw the knife out of the house after picking it up off the floor. Bennett, a mother of three children, was later pronounced dead at University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center. Elyria police found a long, curved-blade replica movie prop knife with Bennett's blood hidden inside the wall of an attic crawlspace. McElroy was interviewed by Elyria police and also discussed the incident with Gutierrez by phone while being held at Lorain County Jail, where she has been since her initial arrest. Messages seeking comment on the verdict were left for Assistant Lorain County Prosecutor Chris Pierre and defense attorney Jason Harless, the lead attorneys in the case. Pierre was assisted by Assistant Prosecutor Patrick Hakos, and attorney Christina Vagotis also represented McElroy as part of her defense team. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him @daveobrienCT on Twitter.