‘The Murder Tapes: Blood in the Snow’ on Investigation Discovery details how 20-year-old Noah Kinney was killed in an Akron, Ohio, driveway in the first few days of January 2020. Since the only eyewitness to the incident first told a lie, the detectives were immediately perplexed. But when they discovered CCTV evidence of the incident, they were able to solve the horrific crime very swiftly. We’ve got your back whether you’re curious to learn more about the case, the killer’s identity, or where they are right now. So let’s get started, shall we?
How Did Noah Kinney Die?
On September 25, 1999, Noah James Kinney was born in Barberton, Summit County, Ohio. Before being placed in foster care, he spent his early years in Houston, Texas, with his grandmother, Mary Kinney. Joann Chirakos, Noah’s foster mother, recalled how generous Noah was. Early in January 2020, he was living in Fairlawn, Ohio, with his ex-girlfriend Oahnesty Palmer, with whom he had a daughter named Niyla Kinney.
Noah was the best parent I could have asked for, according to Oahnesty. Whenever he entered a room, he instantly lit it up. On January 8, 2020, she said that she and Noah were texting and she had invited him over. After dropping his pal there, he replied that he will arrive within 15 minutes. But shortly after texting his lover, Noah was tragically killed in Akron, Ohio, and never made it. Around 11:17 PM, the Akron Police Department received a number of 911 calls from worried neighbours regarding a shooting.
One of the callers claimed to have heard gunshots, seen a car speed off, and heard people screaming outside. Another claimed that a car had pulled up to their neighbor’s driveway when someone opened fire on it. A slim, dark-skinned person allegedly jumped out of the automobile as seven to ten gunshot rounds were heard by the third 911 caller. The 20-year-old was found slumped over in the driver’s seat of his Jeep with several gunshot wounds when the responding cops arrived in the 700 block of Noah Avenue. A bullet to the chest was the cause of his demise.
Who Killed Noah Kinney?
Around 11:30 PM, police officers arrived at the crime scene and quickly apprehended Jeffrey Law II as a witness. He identified the victim to the police and said that he was his cousin. Jeffrey was taken to one of the ambulances at the site after another officer observed he was bleeding as two other cops attended to Noah. He was not shot, the medic told him, but had a cut from a strip and needed stitches. With many bullet wounds, including ones through his armpit and chest, Noah was later pronounced dead.
When the incident occurred, Jeffrey claimed to the police that he was in the car with his cousin. He claimed that as Noah was getting out of the car after responding to a call and arriving at the specified address, two people in all black emerged from a backyard and began firing. The 20-year-old entered the vehicle and made an attempt to flee but was shot; as a result, the car lost control and slammed into a driveway across the street. Before he could catch a look of the attackers or the vehicle, according to Jeffrey, they leapt into a nearby parked car and drove off.
However, the authorities realised Jeffrey was lying since they couldn’t find any footprints from the backyard, where he claimed the attackers fled, in the snow. The fact that all the shell casings were discovered in one location in the backyard suggests that the shooter was stationary when he fired the shots. Seven shell casings of.40 calibre were found by the detectives. After thoroughly searching the area, they came to the conclusion that there was only one shooter based on the evidence, however they did not discover any suspects or the murder weapon. But when they spotted a CCTV camera, they were in luck.
Following a study of the security tape, the police discovered that Noah’s Jeep was blocked in by a car that had entered the driveway around six minutes earlier. The video showed him getting into the car for a moment before there was a fight and the driver began shooting rounds. The shooter continued to fire rounds at Noah’s car as he stumbled out and raced towards it. However, it was clear he had been shot in the critical area since the attacker fled while the victim’s Jeep lost control and slammed into a driveway.
The CCTV description and taillights led the investigators to believe the offender was operating a Buick. After receiving emergency care owing to a felony warrant against him on unrelated charges, they brought in Jeffrey for questioning who was already in police custody. He claimed that before the victim drove to the crime scene, he and Noah had been at the home of a friend named Trippy. Trippy gave the cops the name “Melvin” when he was questioned, saying he was an acquaintance with whom he worked at a nursing facility.
The minutes before the shootout, Noah and Melvin had exchanged a number of SMS, the police discovered after searching Noah’s phone. Through a review of the nursing home’s records, the detectives were able to conclusively identify Melvin as Melvin Terry Jr. They discovered he was a Buick driver and tracked it to a garage for fixing cars. The driver who brought the automobile in and asked for a makeover was identified by the owner as Melvin and his father, Melvin Sr. The detectives also discovered Noah’s blood on the passenger seat and bullet holes in the windscreen.
Where is Melvin Terry Now?
Melvin Jr. arrived at the scene accompanied by a lawyer and surrendered as the detectives were drafting an arrest warrant for him. He refused to say why he fired 12 rounds, but the investigators theorise that it might have been a botched narcotics transaction. Two counts of first-degree murder with firearm specifications, two counts of second-degree felonious assault with firearm specifications, and one offence of third-degree evidence tampering were all determined by a jury to be true of Melvin Jr. on July 20, 2021.
Despite asserting that he fired at Noah and Jeffrey in self-defense, Melvin Jr. was found guilty. So, on August 31, 2021, he was given a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 18 years. At the age of 24, Melvin Jr. is incarcerated at the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Facility in Lima, Ohio. In July 2038, he will be eligible for parole. However, Melvin Sr. entered a plea of guilty to one count of obstructing justice and completed a year of probation.
Despite asserting that he fired at Noah and Jeffrey in self-defense, Melvin Jr. was found guilty. So, on August 31, 2021, he was given a life sentence with the possibility of parole after 18 years. At the age of 24, Melvin Jr. is incarcerated at the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Facility in Lima, Ohio. In July 2038, he will be eligible for parole. However, Melvin Sr. entered a plea of guilty to one count of obstructing justice and completed a year of probation.