Lorain man who killed romantic rival in Chronicle-Telegram parking lot is sent to prison

A week before he was scheduled to go on trial for shooting and killing a romantic rival in 2023 in the parking lot of The Chronicle-Telegram, a Lorain man pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to nearly two decades in prison. The Lorain County Prosecutor's Office said Antoine Richardson, 27, of Livingston Avenue, pleaded guilty Monday in Lorain County Common Pleas Court to one count of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of felonious assault, one count of tampering with evidence and one count of having weapons under disability, all felonies, in the killing of 24-year-old Isael Rios of Lorain. Immediately following Richardson's guilty plea, Judge Melissa Kobasher sentenced him to 18 to 22½ years in prison. The Prosecutor's Office said Rios' mother, Maria Carrion, declined to make any statements following sentencing. Richardson's attorneys were Mike Kinlin and R.J. Budway. On Friday, Budway said he thought the plea and sentence were "a fair and reasonable resolution to the case." "We had some self-defense issues we could raise," he said, noting that Carrion approved the plea agreement. Kinlin agreed the plea deal and sentence were fair and reasonable in light of his client's criminal record, which included prior prison time on gun charges. Based on the facts and video footage of what occurred, Richardson may have had a "pretty good self-defense claim," Kinlin said, "but you never know what a jury's going to do." By pleading guilty, Richardson avoided a trial that had been scheduled to start June 17. Richardson got nine to 13½ years in prison for involuntary manslaughter plus another nine, mandatory years on two firearms specifications for using a gun in the shooting — specifications that were made more serious because Richardson had a prior firearms specification conviction, according to the Prosecutor's Office. The nine years for the firearms specifications are mandatory, meaning Richardson is not eligible for early judicial release by Kobasher. He must serve those nine years first before he starts serving his sentence on the involuntary manslaughter charge, according to the Prosecutor's Office. The charges Richardson was facing at trial were three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count each of tampering with evidence and having weapons under disability, all felonies. Multiple charges of murder can be filed even if there is only a single victim. Each charge may allege a killing happened through different courses of action or conduct. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Chris Pierre, who prosecuted Richardson, said Richardson and Rios were romantic rivals. "The defendant and the victim were both involved in what some may term a 'love triangle' with the same woman," he said. What resulted was a fatal shooting early on the morning of Sept. 2, 2023, in The Chronicle-Telegram parking lot just off Second Street at 225 East Ave. in Elyria. According to surveillance footage reviewed by Chronicle employees, a total of four people in three cars pulled into the parking lot just before 2:30 a.m. Surveillance camera footage showed one car with a lone occupant pulling into the parking lot, next to the Chronicle's press room, quickly followed by two vehicles containing a total of three people. At some point, there was a confrontation. Rios, who also went by the nickname "Pupy," was shot once in the chest and once in the left arm, according to the Lorain County Coroner's Office. Chronicle employees found Rios in the parking lot and called Elyria police. Rios was taken to University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, police said. Within three weeks of the killing, Richardson was identified as a suspect and charged with murder. He was arrested Oct. 5, 2023, by the U.S. Marshals Service in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and extradited to Ohio to face charges. Pierre said the investigation into Rios' killing is now closed. Though there were other people present when Rios was shot, only Richardson had the gun and fired the fatal shots. "No one else is accused of shooting anyone," Pierre said. "Thankfully we had the video from The Chronicle, because no one would have believed" Richardson's story, Kinlin said. When Richardson fled after the shooting, he tossed away the gun next to a business on Fourth Street, two blocks south of the scene, Pierre said. Elyria police found surveillance video that showed where Richardson dumped the gun and also showed "a masked figure" come by later and apparently retrieve the gun. When police went there to look for the gun it was gone, Pierre said. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.