Henry Spooner convicted of murder in 2022 death of Jordan Flanigan (VIDEO)

ELYRIA — Following a five-day trial and nearly six hours of deliberation over two days, a Lorain County Common Pleas Court jury found Henry Spooner guilty Tuesday of four felony charges in a 2022 murder at Midview Crossing Apartments in Elyria. Jurors rejected Spooner's argument that he shot and killed 24-year-old Jordan Flanigan once in the face in self-defense after Flanigan allegedly threatened to shoot him. Spooner was found guilty of one count of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle, all felonies, and three related firearms specifications. The guilty finding came on the so-called "felony murder" rule, which says: "No person shall cause the death of another as a proximate result of the offender's committing or attempting to commit an offense of violence that is a felony of the first or second degree" which in this case was felonious assault. Jurors found Spooner not guilty of two additional murder charges, including "purposeful" murder, and on an evidence tampering charge. Judge Giovanna Bremke read the verdicts out loud in her courtroom shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Spooner has been in the Lorain County Jail since February 2023, but Bremke revoked his bond anyway and scheduled sentencing for 1:30 p.m. Monday. As Spooner was led out of the courtroom by sheriff's deputies, family members told him they loved him. Under state law and sentencing guidelines, Spooner faces a minimum of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 15 years for murder, plus additional, mandatory prison time on the firearms specifications. Bremke said she would also rule at sentencing whether Spooner is guilty of having weapons under disability for being a convicted felon in possession of a gun and on a repeat violent offender specification attached to his charges. Following the verdicts, defense attorneys Jason Harless and R.J. Budway said it was clear the jury didn't accept their self-defense arguments. "We thought our client had a valid self-defense, and we're disappointed, but the jury made a decision. That's our system," Budway said. Assistant Prosecutors Matt Kern and Daniellela Leigh presented the state's case against Spooner. On Tuesday, Kern thanked the jury for its time and for "delivering justice" for Flanigan, while Leigh said the verdict "is another example of the people of Lorain County standing firm for truth and accountability." "Since changes to self-defense laws in recent years, our juries have consistently made it clear that the truth matters, and self-defense cannot be used as a shield against responsibility," she said. The killing happened shortly before 8 p.m. Oct. 27, 2022, at the Midview Crossing Apartments at 1864 Middle Ave. in Elyria. Authorities said Spooner shot Flanigan once in the face following a dispute between one of Spooner's friends and Flanigan over a woman. Flanigan was so close to the fatal gunshot, about 2 feet, that it left unburned grains of gunpowder embedded in his face. The defense said that Flanigan and one of his friends ambushed Spooner outside Building H at the apartment complex and Spooner was forced to shoot and kill Flanigan. Spooner was shot in the jaw and abdomen by one of Flanigan's friends but survived. Spooner testified he was "scared" when he shot Flanigan and later lied to Elyria police detectives about the shooting during an interview 11 days later because "I just wanted to go home." A grand jury indicted Spooner in Flanigan's death in January 2023. Lori Flanigan cried and hugged supporters when the jury found Spooner guilty of her son's death. As she left the Lorain County Justice Center on Wednesday, she said her plans were to pay a visit to her son's grave. Lori Flanigan said the verdict came as "a relief, a big big relief." But one of her first thoughts also was, "Why did two families have to lose?" "Not just me, I lost my son, (the Spooner family) just lost their son to the system themselves," Lori Flanigan said. "I'm sorry that this happened, things had to go the way they went. Both families are hurting, regardless of who's going to jail and one's in the ground. We're all hurting. But in my eyes we got a menace off the streets. "We can say we won, but we didn't win. We still don't have our loved one," Lori Flanigan said. "In my eyes I just hope he (Spooner) thinks about what he did and tries to make changes so that when he comes home, he's a different person." Four other men present the night of the killing faced criminal charges related to the case. Antwon President Jr., who picked up Jordan Flanigan's dropped gun and also shot at Spooner as Spooner fled the scene, pleaded guilty last year to having weapons under disability, tampering with evidence and aggravated assault, all felonies, and is serving 4½ years in prison. Cousins Harold Willis, who threw Spooner's gun out of a moving car while fleeing the shooting, and Demetrius Willis, who led police on a chase in the same getaway vehicle later that night, both pleaded guilty to felony charges in March and were placed on community control for three years. Jordan Flanigan's 15-year-old friend who shot Spooner was found to have acted in self-defense, the Prosecutor's Office said. He was ruled delinquent by carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor, in Juvenile Court and received probation. The gun he used to shoot Spooner never was recovered. In a news release Tuesday, Elyria Police Chief James Welsh lauded his officers and prosecutors for their work on the case, which took nearly three years to go to trial. "This tragic and senseless act of violence has had a lasting impact on the lives of those affected," Welsh said. "Thanks to the tireless efforts of our officers, detectives, and the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office, justice has been served. We remain steadfast in our commitment to hold violent offenders accountable and to protect the safety of Elyria residents." An anti-violence advocate since her son's murder, Lori Flanigan said young people need to learn that violence isn't the answer. "I don't see these boys as evil people, I don't. I don't see Henry (Spooner) as an evil person. These two boys had a problem with each other. I don't know what transpired for them to have this animosity toward each other," she said. "I wish it never happened. I wish both of them had thought before" it happened, Lori Flanigan said. "They don't understand the guns. A bullet doesn't have a name on it." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.