Man convicted of Austintown strangulation death dead at age 50
A man who went on trial five times and spent 15 years in jail before pleading guilty in connection with the strangulation death of an Austintown woman, has died.
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AUSTINTOWN TWP., Ohio - A man who went on trial five times and spent 15 years in jail before pleading guilty in connection with the strangulation death of an Austintown woman, has died.
An obituary for Christopher Anderson says he passed away from natural causes at home last week.
Anderson, who was 50, spent nearly fifteen years in the Mahoning County Jail after being charged with the 2002 murder of Amber Zurcher, who police say was strangled with a phone cord in her Austintown apartment.
While he remained behind bars, two of Anderson's trials ended with hung juries. Two other trials ended in mistrials.
Anderson was convicted in his second trial, but the verdict was overturned.
Not wanting to go through a sixth trial, In early 2017 Anderson pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and burglary.
He was sentenced to time already served and placed on probation for five years.
