Inset: Todd A. Morgan (Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes). Background: Terreionna Paschal in court (WKYC).
An Ohio woman who admitted to killing a Cleveland State University professor and father of two in his home the day they met after chatting on an app has learned her fate.
Terreionna Paschal, 32, was sentenced to 23 years to life in prison on Thursday in the April 19, 2023, death of Todd A. Morgan, 41, Summit County Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich announced in a news release. Paschal pleaded guilty on Wednesday to aggravated murder with a gun specification, prosecutors said. She’ll be eligible for parole after 23 years.
Morgan’s mother, Sandy Morgan, asked the judge for the maximum penalty, saying she would “like to see Ms. Paschal pay dearly for taking my son’s life,” and tore into the killer, local Fox affiliate WJW reported.
“Todd’s not here to tell his story,” she said. “Only God, Todd, and you know the truth of what happened on April 19. All I know, he was brutally murdered by you, and he basically died for nothing.”
“You didn’t even know him,” she added. “Your actions to take my son’s life changed my life forever. It’s changed all of our lives. Even more so, you took a father from two beautiful children. They were his world. And he was theirs.”
The defendant apologized to the family, saying, “I’m very sorry, and I hope that one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.”
The case came to light when police, conducting a welfare check at Morgan’s home after he failed to pick up his 4-year-old daughter at school, found him shot in the head and torso, authorities said.
Investigators found shell casings in the home and a bloody shoe print on the deck outside, WJW reported. A person with long dark hair was seen leaving the home, witnesses told police, the station reported.
Paschal was indicted the following month.
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She was linked to the killing through phone records, mobile apps, DNA, and ballistics, and detectives placed her at his home at the time of the murder, prosecutors said. Officials said the two had only known each other for “a limited time” before the shooting but didn’t elaborate. The two had communicated on an app but hadn’t met until that fateful day, WJW reported.
Morgan was an assistant professor of business at Cleveland State University.
“All who knew Todd Morgan could attest to his fierce love of his family,” his obituary said. “He cherished his role as a father with a steadfast commitment to ensuring that his kids were provided with everything they needed. Nothing brought him greater joy than the time he spent with his family. Gone too soon, Todd will be deeply missed and his wonderful collection of memories will fondly live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.”
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