CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) – Legislation signed by former Gov. John Kasich and named after Alianna DeFreeze will be implemented at Ohio schools beginning Thursday, April 4. “Alianna Alert” will require schools to notify parents within two hours of the start of school if their child is not present. The law was introduced as a result of the […]
via News5: The parents of Alianna DeFreeze—the 14-year-old girl who was lured away from a bus stop by a convicted sex offender and later found dead inside an abandoned home— have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The lawsuit names the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, E Prep and Village Prep Woodland Hills, the City of Cleveland, […]
COLUMBUS, Ohio– A new law named after 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze will go into effect in April. Alianna’s Alert requires schools to call parents within 120 minutes of the start of the day if their child is marked absent. “I am pleased that Governor Kasich signed Alianna’s Alert into law,” said state Sen. Sandra Williams, in […]
CLEVELAND — On Friday, the Cuyahoga County Land Bank demolished the home where Alianna DeFreeze was murdered. Friends and family watched the house get torn down. Demolition begins on home where Alianna DeFreeze was murdered. For Damon DeFreeze, it was a bittersweet sight. “It’s kind of hard to breathe,” he said. Last week, the DeFreeze […]
via Wkyc: Graduation is an emotional time. For the family of Aliana DeFreeze, it is especially hard, since she was supposed to graduate this year. On Friday, her school, E-Prep & Village Prep Woodland Hills, will be honoring her during graduation. On Wednesday, administrators held a small ceremony on campus to celebrate her life. They […]
FOX8 CLEVELAND – The man convicted of killing Alianna DeFreeze was sentenced to death Monday morning. Christoper Whitaker, 45, was convicted of 10 counts, including aggravated murder, rape and kidnapping in the death of the 14-year-old girl. A Cuyahoga County jury recommended the death penalty. On Monday, Judge Carolyn Friedland upheld that sentence. “He snatched a branch […]
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) – Jurors who took six hours to convict a Cleveland man last week of abducting, raping and killing a 14-year-old girl have now decided he should be executed. After another five hours of deliberations, the same jury voted unanimously Friday Christopher Whitaker should receive the death penalty for the murder of Alianna DeFreeze. He […]
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) – Cleveland officials and community and family members are expected to gather Thursday afternoon to begin a push to rename a street honoring the memory of a 14-year-old who was murdered last year. Supporters want Fuller Avenue to be renamed in honor of Alianna DeFreeze. Earlier this week, Christopher Whitaker was convicted of killing Alianna. Alianna was kidnapped […]
CLEVELAND, OH (WOIO) – It took a jury less than six hours to reach a verdict in the trial of Christopher Whitaker, the man accused of killing 14-year-old Alianna DeFreeze in January 2017. We are not permitted to live stream in the courtroom today, but will keep you updated in a live blog here: 11:50 Judge […]
Wytonya and Damon DeFreeze were filled with emotion, as they stood in front of the vacant Fuller Avenue home, where the the body of their 14-year-old daughter Alianna was found more than two weeks ago. The couple believes the City of Cleveland needs to do more to keep track of vacant, condemned, potentially hazardous homes. […]
Funeral details have been set for Alianna DeFreeze, the 14-year-old who was killed while walking to school on Jan. 26. Alianna was last seen boarding an RTA bus to head to school. Her mother notified police that Alianna was missing after the school contacted her that afternoon saying Alianna had missed class. Officers found Alianna’s […]
An arrest has been made in connection with the death of a Cleveland teen. Christopher Whitaker, 44, was arrested Thursday in Mayfield Heights. Alianna DeFreeze, 14, was found dead in an abandon home on Cleveland’s east side earlier this week. “We need to make sure (Whitaker) never walks our streets again,” said Cleveland police chief […]