Member of 'Ohio 4' group convicted in 1991 Lorain murder seeks new DNA testing on case evidence

One of the so-called "Ohio 4," four men who say they were wrongfully convicted in a 1991 murder of a woman in Lorain, has asked a Lorain County judge to allow him access to evidence in the case for further DNA testing. Attorneys for Benson Davis filed paperwork Sept. 24 with Common Pleas Judge Chris Cook seeking permission to conduct post-conviction DNA testing at Davis' expense in the murder of Marsha Blakely. Attorneys Joanna Sanchez with The Exoneration Project and Nicholas Allen, of the Ohio Public Defender's Office, wrote in their filing that Ohio law allows judges to grant the release of evidence for testing by an independent lab. "If the defendant is willing to pay for independent DNA testing, this court may order such testing" and that's what Davis is seeking, they wrote. The evidence the defense wants to test also is likely to give the identity of the perpetrator or perpetrators who killed Blakely and who may have also killed her friend Floyd Epps, whose body was found earlier that same morning. Blakely, 22, was stabbed, had her throat slit, and was run over by a car. Her body was found behind Westgate Shopping Center in Lorain the morning of Aug. 8, 1991. The Lorain Police Department suspected her death was connected to Epps' death. No one has ever been charged with killing Epps, who was 47 at the time of his death. Davis, 63, who also is known as Ian R. Davis, remains in prison, serving a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 28 years in Blakely's death. His next parole hearing is in November, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections. A prosecution witness told Lorain police that the four men beat Blakely at Epps' apartment then murdered her. He has since recanted his testimony, saying he lied for reward money. "Given the nature of the murders, the perpetrators were in close proximity to both Blakely and Epps when they were assaulted and killed," Davis' attorneys wrote. "And Davis and his co-defendants have maintained that they were neither involved nor present when the murders of Blakely and Epps occurred. Given this, any evidence that can identify who had physical contact with the victims at the time of the murders is of critical importance." Among the evidence found near Epps' body was a beer can that was never tested for DNA. Epps' family said he never drank beer, according to Davis' attorneys, while an alternate suspect allegedly confessed to the murders and "regularly drove around Lorain with an open beer between his legs." Testing of biological evidence including a rape kit and a human tooth, a shirt button, a cigarette pack and lighter, a comb and the victims' clothing could also provide the identify of those present, Davis' attorneys wrote. Lorain County Prosecutor Tony Cillo said his office was drafting a response to Davis' request. Cook gave prosecutors until Oct. 23 to do so, according to court records. The Ohio 4, their attorneys and supporters say witness William Avery Jr. testified against them in exchange for money, then recanted his testimony 20 years later. He has since refused to testify in court without the promise of immunity from prosecution for perjury. Davis' co-defendant, John "Shakim" Edwards, 56, also remains in prison. His first parole hearing is in August 2028. The two other men convicted of killing Blakely, Alfred Cleveland and Lenworth Edwards, were paroled in 2020. All have professed their innocence. All of their appeals in state and federal courts have been denied. Blakely's family also has opposed their efforts at exoneration. Attorneys for the Ohio 4 have asked anyone with information on Blakely's murder to come forward. Court records and documents on the case can be found online at FreeTheOhio4.com. Contact Dave O'Brien at 440-329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.