To watch a video of Tyler Kassow’s brother and friend talking after the arraignment, go to www.journal-news.com.
Zachary McBroom said Tyler Kassow and his friends were a team.
“He was No. 1,” McBroom said. “He brought the light to us.”
That light was turned off when Tyler Kassow, 18, of West Chester Twp., was shot and killed Jan. 13 during an apparent robbery attempt of marijuana inside a residence at 9393 Cincinnati Columbus Road.
All four defendants in the murder case were arraigned in Butler County Common Pleas Judge Keith Spaeth’s courtroom Monday morning.
After hearing arguments from three attorneys, Spaeth set bond at $1.5 million, up from $1 million, on Demarcus Staley, 19, of Woodlawn, charged with aggravated burglary and murder in the death of Kassow. Staley allegedly was the shooter.
Staley was the only one of the four not represented at Monday’s arraignment. He told Spaeth that because he was in jail, he had no way of earning income to pay for an attorney. Spaeth told the court to assign Staley a public defender and for him to appear in court at 10:30 a.m. Thursday after meeting with counsel.
All four are expected to return to court again at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 25.
Bond remained at $1 million for Rodney Foster, 19, of Springdale. Bond was reduced from $1 million to $250,000 for Jibril Willingham, 20, of Springdale, and Justin Koch, 18, of Sharonville. Spaeth said all four had to post the entire bond, not 10 percent, and they couldn’t have any contact with the victim’s family.
Willingham, Foster and Koch are charged with complicity to aggravated burglary and complicity to murder. All four plead not guilty to the charges.
Willingham is represented by David Washington; Koch by William Welch; and Foster by Clyde Bennett.
Prosecutor Brad Burress said evidence will show that Koch drove the men to Kassow’s residence and the plan was to rob him and his brother, Alex, of marijuana. Koch and Willingham never left the vehicle, Burress said. But he said Koch, a friend of Kassow’s, put the “plan into action.”
Washington said his client was a passenger in the vehicle and “something bad happened.”
Staley and Foster, who were wearing ski masks, forced their way into the residence at gunpoint when Kassow’s brother opened the door, police said. A scuffle ensued and Tyler Kassow was shot once in the head as his brother and two other juveniles watched, police said. Staley was the only one with a weapon, police said.
The weapon later was dumped on Cincinnati Dayton Road, and the four discarded their clothes and gloves somewhere near the Premium Outlet in Monroe, Burress said.
At Monday’s arraignment, several family members of the defendants sat at one side of the courtroom, and Kassow’s family and friends sat in the opposite corner. Most of Kassow’s supporters wore white T-shirts with his picture and the words: “Gone But Never, Ever Forgotten.”
Alex Kassow wore a silver bracelet with some of his brother’s ashes stored inside.
“He impacted a lot of people,” Kassow said outside the courtroom. “We have to keep his memory alive.”
On the back of the shirts were the words: “What’s The Move?” That was something Kassow frequently said and texted to his friends. He always wanted them to do things together, McBroom said.
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