Man accused of killing pregnant woman, 16-year-old makes first court appearance

CLEVELAND — The man accused of a double homicide, including the pregnant mother of his own child, made his first court appearance Tuesday.

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Nico Cunigan, Jr., 32, was brought back to Dayton to face murder charges for a deadly shooting on Shaftesbury Road in May.

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U.S. Marshals tracked him down in Cleveland, two months after police say he killed his ex-girlfriend Precious Taste and 16-year-old Deante Johnson.

That 16-year-old’s mother was inside this courtroom Tuesday, despite the fact that Cunigan appeared by way of video, not in person.

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“Because I wanted to see him. I wanted to see the person my son saw last,” said Jennifer Louis.

Louis said it was tough to hear Cunigan be given a $1 million bond. She wished he was held without chance of making bail.

“Y’all just basically giving him a chance, he doesn’t need a chance, he didn’t give them a chance,” she said.

Cunigan’s case will likely be moved soon to Common Pleas Court. He would have to raise at least $100,000, or 10 percent of that bond, to be released from jail. If he did, then he would be placed on electronic home monitoring.

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