Patituce & Associates has secured a lenient plea deal for a Cleveland man who was accused of killing a woman during a verbal argument in April 2024. Steve Gue Jr. pled guilty to reckless homicide for the death of Dajah Thaxton. He was sentenced to only 3 years in prison – with a high possibility for parole after just 6 months – when he possibly could have been facing a life sentence had his case been tried as murder.
Details of the Reckless Homicide Case
Dajah Thaxton came to Gue’s home around 5:00 AM one morning, and a verbal argument quickly followed. The confrontation became heated to the point that the property, including doors and windows, was damaged. In the heat of the moment and without thinking, Gue shoved Thaxton, and she fell down a flight of stairs. Emergency responders were summoned to the scene, but she passed away from her injuries after being taken to a local hospital.
In Gue’s own words, “It was an accident. I never meant for anything to happen to her.”
Sentence: Three Years for Reckless Homicide
The Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas heard Gue’s case, which was presented by the defense attorneys of Patituce & Associates. From the beginning of the case, we knew that our client could have easily faced the possibility of life in prison at most and decades in prison, at least if he was tried for murder. Our team was focused on proving that Thaxton’s death was entirely an accident that arose from “the heat of the moment” during an altercation that they both participated in. As such, a homicide charge and its potential penalties would be unjust.
We are grateful that the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge allowed Gue to plead guilty to reckless homicide. Of course, Gue and our legal team are also very grateful for the comparatively lenient sentencing of 3 years imprisonment with a possibility for parole after only 6 months.
To learn more about this recent case result, you can click here to view a full article from 19 News in Cleveland, Ohio. To learn more about the legal services of Patituce & Associates, available to clients throughout Ohio, please call us at (440) 771-1175 or use an online contact form today.
