Trial in fatal 2024 Columbia Twp. bar shooting set to begin Sept. 30

ELYRIA — A Medina County man is set to go on trial next month in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on charges he shot and killed a Cuyahoga County man in a Columbia Township bar last year. The trial of James A. Stewart Jr., 42, of Brunswick, on three counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of illegal possession of a firearm in a liquor permit premises, all felonies with attached firearms and forfeiture specifications, as well as misdemeanor charges of assault and using weapons while intoxicated, is set to begin Sept. 30 in Judge Chris Cook's courtroom. The Lorain County Prosecutor's Office has the burden to prove in court that Stewart did not act in self-defense or defense of others when he shot and killed Jason Kleinman, 49, of Olmsted Falls on May 10, 2024, following a fight at Joker's Pub and Grub, 24517 Sprague Road. Stewart has pleaded not guilty to all charges by reason of self-defense/defense of others and is free on bond awaiting trial. Multiple murder charges can be filed even if there is only fatality in a criminal case, with each alleging different actions or conduct leading to the alleged victim's death. After two months in the Lorain County Jail, Stewart posted a $100,000 cash/surety bond in July 2024 and was released. Conditions of his bond are 24-hour house arrest and GPS monitoring overseen by the Lorain County Adult Probation department; no contact with the alleged victim's family; and no possession, ownership, access to or control over any guns or dangerous ordnance. The next, and potentially final, pretrial hearing in the case is set Sept. 15, Cook said. The Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Prosecutor's Office said Stewart used a 9 mm handgun to shoot and kill Kleinman. The misdemeanor assault charge concerns a different victim Stewart allegedly assaulted during the fight. Kleinman, who died of a gunshot wound, was Rhode Island native, father of six, the owner of Majestic Remodeling in Avon Lake and a motorcycle enthusiast, according to his obituary. Accounts of the incident that were posted online said Kleinman allegedly was trying to separate two patrons who were fighting, but those could not be verified. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Chris Pierre said in court Monday that Stewart allegedly told deputies he left the bar, retrieved the gun from his truck and took it back inside the bar. He and Assistant Prosecutor Daniellela Leigh have filed motions with the court seeking to limit what Stewart is allowed to argue about Kleinman's character. Cook did not rule on that Monday, nor on several other motions prosecutors filed ahead of the trial. Pierre said Stewart told investigators he allegedly got "ominous" or "threatening" information that led him to fear for his safety prior to the shooting. Defense attorney Mike Stepanik said there are "hours and hours and hours" of phone calls with Stewart on them recorded on Lorain County Jail phones that had been transcribed, and that he would share with prosecutors what he intended to use at trial. Pierre told Cook he intended to introduce evidence that Stewart had been involved in a prior road rage incident in which he allegedly pulled a gun on another motorist. Stepanik questioned whether that information was relevant to the murder case. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.