Man sentenced to over 46 years in prison appeals murder conviction

SPRINGFIELD — A man sentenced to over four decades in prison after being convicted of murder has filed a notice of appeal.

Jerrel Fleming, 38, was convicted by a jury on June 13 in Clark Common Pleas Court after being charged with shooting and killing a man, Rakeem Ford, in Aug. 2023, according to court documents.

The jury convicted him of five felony counts including felony murder, felonious assault, having weapons under disability, discharging a firearm on or near prohibited premises with two firearm specifications, and improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

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Fleming was arrested in Columbus in September 2023 on an outstanding warrant related to the 2023 deadly shooting.

In August 2023, Springfield police officers and medics were initially dispatched to Spring and North Streets regarding a crash and shots fired.

Police responded to the area and found Ford inside the fence of a parking lot near the post office on North Limestone Street, a Springfield police incident report said.

Ford appeared to have several gunshot wounds to his legs and abdomen, the report said.

He was taken to Springfield Regional Medical Center but was later pronounced deceased.

Fleming was sentenced to over 46 years to life in prison, court documents said.

A notice of appeal was filed in Clark County Common Pleas Court on behalf of Fleming on June 24.

We will continue to follow this story.

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