Man convicted of raping Mahoning County Deputy sentenced for Akron murder

Rondell Harris

An East Cleveland man already serving a lengthy prison sentence for the rape of a Mahoning County Sheriff's deputy was sentenced Monday to 24 years to life for the 2016 cold case murder of Damon Harris Jr. outside an Akron barbershop.

Rondell Harris, 36, will not be eligible for parole until 2073, when he will be 84 years old. The sentence will run consecutively to the 27 1/2 years he is already serving for unrelated offenses in Mahoning County.

Last Thursday, Harris pleaded guilty mid-trial to murder with a three-year firearm specification, aggravated robbery with a three-year firearm specification, and having weapons while under disability.

Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich announced the sentencing, expressing hope that it would bring peace to the victim's family. "Damon's family has waited nearly a decade for answers about the loss of their loved one," Kolkovich said in a statement. "While nothing can bring Damon back, I hope this sentence offers them a measure of peace as they continue their journey of healing. I'm grateful justice has finally been served."

According to prosecutors, Rondell Harris went to a barbershop on Copley Road in Akron in March 2016 intending to commit a robbery. He saw Damon Harris Jr., 24, outside and targeted him instead. After luring Damon to his vehicle, Rondell Harris attempted to rob him at gunpoint. When Damon tried to flee, Rondell Harris shot him once in the back with a shotgun.

The case remained cold until 2022, when Rondell Harris, while in custody on unrelated charges, confessed to the murder. He provided details that only someone involved in the crime would have known and has since sent multiple letters to Summit County prosecutors, Summit County Court of Common Pleas judges, and the Akron Police Department, admitting to the killing.

In May 2023, Rondell Harris was sentenced in Mahoning County to 26 to 31 1/2 years after pleading guilty to rape, kidnapping, tampering with evidence and disrupting public services in connection with the sexual assault of a Mahoning County Sheriff's deputy. During that sentencing, Harris, who was declared a Tier Three sex offender and a violent offender, was removed from the courtroom after a profanity-laced tirade. He continued speaking as the victim delivered a statement and made an obscene gesture upon being escorted back into the courtroom.

As a designated violent offender in the murder case, Harris will be required to register with his local sheriff's office every year for 10 years, should he ever be released from prison.