The Supreme Court of Ohio has upheld the death sentences for Matthew Nicholson, a Cuyahoga County man convicted of murdering his girlfriend's teenage children. In a narrow 4-3 decision, the court ruled that Nicholson's actions warranted the death penalty for the 2018 killings of Giselle Lopez, 19, and her brother "M.L.", 17.
Justice Patrick F. Fischer, writing for the majority, acknowledged Nicholson's difficult upbringing but emphasized the severity of his crimes. "Nicholson murdered two unarmed teenagers in front of their mother," he wrote. Justices R. Patrick DeWine and Joseph T. Deters agreed with Fischer's opinion.
Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy concurred with much of the majority's reasoning but criticized certain aspects. She disagreed with allowing some victim-impact testimony and questioned how Nicholson's defense of "blackout" was characterized by the court.
In dissent, Justice Jennifer Brunner argued that while Nicholson's actions were reprehensible, they did not reach the level seen in other cases where death sentences were affirmed. She advocated for life imprisonment instead, joined by Justices Melody Stewart and Michael P. Donnelly.
Justice Donnelly noted that Cuyahoga County pursued an unusually high number of death penalty cases in 2019, suggesting that location rather than crime severity influenced Nicholson’s sentence.
The incident occurred after a confrontation between Nicholson and America Polanco, his girlfriend and mother to the victims. The situation escalated when M.L., alerted by noise from downstairs, attempted to intervene.
Nicholson was indicted on multiple charges including aggravated murder and attempted murder but was found guilty on all except one charge related to Polanco.
Throughout his appeals process, Nicholson contested various aspects of his trial including claims of self-defense and ineffective counsel due to not pursuing a blackout defense.
Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court concluded that there was substantial evidence supporting his convictions beyond reasonable doubt.
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