Elyria man's sanity the issue at trial in fatal 2023 Elyria Twp. drive-by shooting

ELYRIA — Isaiah Makuch doesn't deny killing motorcyclist Trey Sukey in a drive-by shooting on Lake Avenue in Elyria Township more than two years ago. Instead Makuch, 26, of Elyria, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple murder and related charges in Lorain County Common Pleas Court, saying he didn't know it was wrong for him to shoot and kill Sukey on Oct. 24, 2023. Makuch had pointed his gun at a couple on a motorcycle in Amherst earlier that day, as well as shot at another motorcyclist but missed, hitting their motorcycle and a backpack strapped to it before driving off. Living with schizophrenia, Makuch believed that the motorcycle riders and police officers who later arrested him were members of "the Illuminati," a secret society that was out to get him, according to testimony in court. Makuch "thought almost everyone he was dealing with was a member of the Illuminati," defense expert witness Christopher Ray, a forensic psychologist, testified Tuesday. "There were multiple indicators he didn't know what he was doing was wrong." Makuch is charged with aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, felonious assault, discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premises and improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle, all felonies, plus misdemeanor aggravated menacing charges and multiple firearms and drive-by shooting specifications. Makuch waived his right to a jury and elected to have Judge Melissa Kobasher alone decide the case. He was being held in the Lorain County Jail on $2 million bond. Ahead of trial, the defense and prosecution stipulated, or agreed, to many facts — including that Makuch shot and killed Sukey, that Makuch pointed the gun at three other people and tried to kill one of them but missed and to the physical forensic evidence, according to court documents. The Lorain County Sheriff's Office and Prosecutor's Office allege that Makuch knew right from wrong. He warned a month before the shooting in a rap video that he would get violent if anyone "poked the bear," appeared to throw out evidence after the shooting, reloaded his gun and evaded detectives' questions, Assistant Prosecutor Matt Kern said in court. Makuch "had a plan," Kern said in his opening statement, to find people on motorcycles and kill them. Makuch was suffering from a severe mental disease or defect that still exist "weeks, months, even years" after he shot and killed Sukey, 30, of Lorain, defense attorney Jason Harless said in court Tuesday. Sukey was riding a borrowed lime green Kawasaki motorcycle south on Lake Avenue in Elyria Township just after 6 p.m. Oct. 24, 2023, when Makuch pulled up beside him in a silver Honda Accord. Makuch shot Sukey five times with a 9 mm Hi-Point handgun, bumped the motorcycle so it wrecked in the middle of the road, then sped off without braking, according to video evidence played in court. Sukey later died at University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center. In Makuch's mind, "anyone on a motorcycle" was a member of the Illuminati out to kill him, Harless said in court. Ray was Harless' only witness before resting his case. Ray testified Makuch had a severe mental disease or defect at the time of the shooting that prevented him from knowing the difference between right and wrong. Makuch has chronic paranoid delusions, Ray testified based on a 2025 examination he did of the defendant. Ray testified it would be hard to make sense of Makuch's "disorganized" thinking because "it's difficult to rationalize psychotic delusions." Though Makuch showed some signs of faking or exaggerating symptoms, potentially seeking favorable outcomes later, Ray's opinion was that Makuch's severe mental illness "destroyed his knowledge of legal wrongfulness." Public and private surveillance camera footage and images from Flock traffic cameras were used to track Makuch's movements before, during and after the killing. Footage showed Makuch driving around Amherst and Lorain, at the scene of the shooting, then to West Recreation Center in Elyria where he parked and spent some time digging around in his car near a trash can. Prosecutors theorize Makuch picked up eight spent shell casings from rounds he fired that day and disposed of them in the trash. Detectives tried to find them, even bringing metal detectors out to West Rec, but the garbage had been picked up already, sheriff's Detective Matt Lawson testified. On cross-examination, Ray testified that he wasn't aware that Makuch allegedly got rid of the shell casings. That "would be relevant information" that "could potentially" cause him to reconsider his opinion, he testified. Makuch was arrested less than an hour after the shooting by Elyria police and sheriff's deputies outside a family member's house on Fairfield Court in Elyria. The murder weapon and more ammunition were in the center console of his car, Lawson testified. The prosecution's expert psychological witness will testify Thursday. Sukey moved to Lorain from Detroit a year before his death. He worked at Skylift Inc., volunteered at church, loved motorcycles, working on cars, drawing and martial arts, his mother Autumn Smith told The Chronicle-Telegram. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.