By Phil Trexler

Beacon Journal staff writer


Faced with a collapsing defense and a possible mistrial, an Akron man abruptly pleaded guilty Tuesday to punching and killing a bar patron peacemaker.

Kevin ``Big Kev'' Wolverton will be sentenced Aug. 20 after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

He faces a sentence of three to 10 years for the September beating death of 40-year-old Ed Gibson of Akron.

Wolverton's surprise plea came on the second day of his trial before a jury and Summit County Common Pleas Judge Marvin Shapiro.

The plea, prosecutors say, was prompted by medical records faxed to prosecutors on Tuesday that clearly refute claims made by Wolverton's attorney during opening statements on Monday.

Defense lawyer Frank Pignatelli had told jurors that doctors at Akron City Hospital delayed ordering a CT scan while Gibson lay dying in the hospital. He suggested the delay weakened Gibson's chances for survival.

During Tuesday's hearing, Assistant Prosecutor Becky Doherty asked for and received medical reports from the hospital showing Gibson was given a scan and was diagnosed with a damaged carotid artery within an hour of his arrival.

There was nothing medical workers could do to help him, she said. Gibson was placed on life support and died two days after being punched by Wolverton.

Shapiro read the reports, dismissed the jury for a break and called the lawyers into chambers. Pignatelli told the judge he was not given the records as part of pretrial discovery.

Doherty claimed the information was not withheld and was referred to several times in other medical records shared with the defense. Pignatelli disagreed, saying it is the prosecution's job to release all records in advance of trial.

In the end, Shapiro threatened to declare a mistrial if a plea agreement could not be reached.

An hour later, Wolverton accepted the plea deal, which he had rejected last week. Wolverton, 30, went on trial charged under the state's felony murder statute and faced a life sentence with parole eligibility after 15 years if convicted.

Pignatelli said the plea came after testimony from witnesses to the assault as well as the medical evidence presented Tuesday.

Gibson died last September while trying to break up a fight between Wolverton and the owner of B.G. Bree's. The punch was so strong it snapped Gibson's neck and damaged his carotid artery, which supplies blood to the brain.

The witnesses said the 6-foot-2-inch, 280-pound Wolverton punched Gibson more than once and kicked him in the head as he lay on the ground. Gibson was several inches shorter, more than 100 pounds lighter and 10 years older than Wolverton.

``After hearing the evidence and the magnitude of the evidence, he obviously wanted to avoid the possibility of 15 years to life in prison,'' Pignatelli said.

In the back of the courtroom, Glenda Gibson smiled and shed tears as she heard Wolverton's guilty plea. The 64-year-old widow lives alone; she has buried her only two sons and her husband.

She said she came to court hoping to bury her son's murder case and move on. The two had lived together before his death.

Another son, Robbie, was killed in a car crash in 1983. He was 17. Her husband, Robert, died in 1986.

She said the plea and pending sentence gives her a chance for closure as she leaves Ohio to begin her retirement in Florida next month.

``This means I don't feel I'm in limbo anymore, that I can move forward now,'' she said. ``Kevin took the last of my immediate family away from me.''

Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com

 

WTF? Is this for real?

 

wow...........

All I can say is I feel for the mom....she lost a son and husband 3yrs apart and then her other son to this....

 

I friend of mine said this is not original Star Boyz Kevin..Its the guy who was
playing doctor in their last video.....
Either way pretty shocking news....

 

ya ....I was thrown off when I seen the height weight they had for him.
I didnt think Kevin was that big......... Last name is moreno or something isn't it????

 

Damn, A Freind Of Mine Caught His Old Lady F@#king Some Other Guy In His House, And Hit Him One Time Straight To The Face, And Killed Him JUST LIKE THIS STORY. 15 Years In Jail, For One Punch. I Feel Sorry For All Parties Involved... Stay Up Big Kev...

 

That not Kevin Marino but Big Kev.... Dude on the the furred bicycle in FTP3

 

man thats ****ed up .......isent he the one who rode the R1 in ftp 2 ,and crashed at the end .and it was doctor joe !!!!!!in ftp 2

 

We partied with him and the boys. Guy is truly a pimp. Treated us like kings mad sure we hade drinks and the hot dancers arounds us. Sorry **** ended up like this. I hope he gets out early and his stay is goes by quickly for him.
Yes and the Doctor was Star Boy Joe Frasor. Big Kevin is the guy chillen on his bike with brow rings given the Hang loose sign as the camera pains by.
BIG PIMP Kevin. Stay up!

 

he was also in streetfighterz' "ride of the century" good video, buy it... as for kevin, sorry to hear about that man, hope things workout for ya...

 

wow, impressed and depressed that he was strong enough to do that and i feel bad for the guy, he wasnt tryin to hit the dude, he just got in the way...sry kev, still a cool guy in my book

 

no, thats dudes name is Jason

 

nope that was Jason Majors

 

Big Kev is the guy that was with all three of the Starboyz in the limo when scott threw a beer bottle out the back window ,and then they got stopped by the police. That happened after the credits in either FTP2 or FTP2 AND A HALF, I cant remember which video it was.

 

I thought the dude playin doctor was Big Dave...???

Hmmm...never heard of Big Kev.....thought it was Dave.

 

He wasn't? Wintesses said he punched him multiple times, and then kicked him in the head as he was laying on the ground, already dying. **** this punk, beat someone smaller that badly. I don't know the whole story...but if you're 10 years younger, over 100 pounds heavier, you don't need to beat an older guy that bad to get your point across. Kicking him in the head after he was down? What kind of ***** is this "pimp" you guys talk about? **** him, have fun in prison, hope your *** gets used well.

<i>"The witnesses said the 6-foot-2-inch, 280-pound Wolverton punched Gibson more than once and kicked him in the head as he lay on the ground. Gibson was several inches shorter, more than 100 pounds lighter and 10 years older than Wolverton"</i>

Wasn't trying to hit the dude...yeah, this sounds like an accident. A lot like the "Oops, sorry, I slipped and stuck my dick in your wife." line. Seriously, this makes me sick. Standing by your boys is one thing, but this dude straight killed another man for trying to break up a fight. The penalty for that **** is not death.

 

this is true, point well taking.

 

yeah in ftp 2 it was doctor joe , and in ftp 3 it was doctor big dave .

 

As nobody has any idea what they're talking about so far, perhaps we just drop this topic all together. it has nothing to do either with the starboyz or stunt riding.thanks.
-bd

 

Agreed. This forum is for stunt discussion not Opra.