Man accused of holding 5 people at gunpoint during Warren County home invasion sentenced to prison

WARREN COUNTY — A man accused of holding five people at gunpoint during a home invasion in Warren County has been sentenced to prison.

Darius Deandre Willis, 37, of Cincinnati was sentenced this past Friday to 13 to 15 years in prison, according to Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshel.

On July 11, 2023, a Warren County jury convicted Willis of five counts of aggravated robbery, five counts of robbery, and two counts of aggravated burglary, with all counts including a mandatory 3-year firearm specification.

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On June 12, 2022, Willis and two accomplices entered a Mason home, all three wearing masks and brandishing firearms, according to the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office.

The men held three adults and two children at gunpoint and demanded money, the prosecutor’s office said.

One of the children, an eight-year-old boy, tried to run from the home and was threatened with a firearm.

The men took more than $900 in cash and other personal property and fled in a Buick Enclave, according to the prosecutor’s office.

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Deputies responded and intercepted the vehicle as it fled south on I-75.

A high-speed pursuit ended at an intersection in Glendale where the three gunmen fled on foot.

A Sharonville Police Officer pursued Willis on foot through the neighborhood.

Willis was found hiding under the deck of a home on Chester Road and had $932 in cash on his person.

The victims’ other property, as well as a mask with Willis’ DNA, was located in the abandoned vehicle.

Willis’ unknown accomplices were not located, the prosecutor’s office said.

Anyone with information regarding their identity and involvement is asked to contact Detective Brandon Abshear of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.

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