“Life Sentence for Cleveland Man Convicted of Killing Pregnant Teen and Three Others”
Cleveland Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2019 Murders of Five People, Including Pregnant Teen
A Cleveland man convicted of killing five people, including an 18-year-old pregnant woman, on the city’s East Side in 2019, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Monday by Judge Ashley Kilbane.
Terrell Silver, 35, was found guilty on September 16 by a jury on multiple charges, including:
- Seven counts of aggravated murder
- Four counts of murder
- Five counts of felonious assault
- One count of attempted murder
- One count of aggravated burglary
Judge Kilbane also found Silver guilty on two counts of having weapons under disability.
According to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley, Silver entered a home near East 144th Street and Kinsman Road sometime between September 7 and September 21, 2019. Once inside, Silver allegedly shot all four victims multiple times as they lay on mattresses on the floor.
The victims were discovered by Cleveland police on September 21, 2019. Two young women, aged 18 and 19, and two men, aged 20 and 23, were found deceased inside the home. Among the victims was Jazmyne Lawson, an 18-year-old from Euclid who was five and a half months pregnant. Silver was also charged with the death of her unborn child.
During Silver’s sentencing, Lawson’s mother confronted him in the Cuyahoga County courtroom, saying, “The pregnant girl screamed when I shot her. Was she supposed to smile? Was she supposed to laugh when you shot her?”
The other victims were identified as:
- Christopher Munroe, 23, of Cleveland
- Dejuan Damar Willis, 20, of Twinsburg
- Aiyanna Quitman, 19, of Euclid
Tammy Quitman, the mother of victim Aiyanna Quitman, also spoke at the sentencing. “You have destroyed 4 families and 5 lives, and for what? I will never be the same. I have not been the same. I have to take anxiety medicine. Sometimes I eat, sometimes I don’t,” she said.
“This case took several years of hard work by law enforcement, and this demonstrates victims will not be forgotten in Cuyahoga County,” Prosecutor Michael O’Malley stated following the sentencing.
