CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio man charged in a Cleveland carjacking that killed a woman preparing for her daughter’s birthday celebration at a church was found guilty by a jury and could face life in prison, the county prosecutor said.
Michael Preston, 23, was accused of running over Lesley DeJesus in November 2018 in a church parking lot after DeJesus and her husband tried to stop Preston from stealing their van. Authorities said DeJesus, 33, was at the church planning her daughter’s Quinceañera, a traditional Hispanic celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday.
A Cuyahoga County jury on Friday found Preston guilty of murder, reckless homicide, felonious assault and aggravated robbery, county prosecutor Michael O’Malley said. Cleveland Police and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office linked Preston to the crime scene through DNA, O’Malley said.
A message was left with Preston’s attorney seeking comment on the conviction.