Attorneys for a 30-year-old convicted murderer will attempt next month to convince a Medina County jury to spare the man’s life.
James “Jimmy” Tench, of Brunswick, faces the death penalty after a jury found him guilty of aggravated murder and a list of other crimes on Wednesday afternoon. His trial had been ongoing since Feb. 22 and included 53 prosecution witnesses and testimony from Tench.
Tench was convicted of killing his mother, Mary Tench, in Brunswick on Nov. 12, 2013. She was found dead in the back of her SUV, parked less than a mile from the home they shared.
Prosecutors alleged Tench struck his mother and ran her over with the SUV before stashing her body there.
“It was a brutal attack with egregious, serious injuries to this lady that caused her death,” said Medina County Prosecutor Dean Holman.
The prosecutor said it’s unclear where the slaying occurred, but her blood was found on the front bumper and undercarriage of the SUV. She died of multiple blunt force trauma impacts to the head, consistent with being struck by a vehicle.
“We think there’s a second crime scene out there that we never found,” Holman said. “We just don’t know.”
Tench killed his mother to stop her from implicating him in a Strongsville robbery, Holman said. He was a person of interest in that case from the beginning, though, so he was charged and convicted. He’s serving a prison sentence for the robbery that expires in 2019.
Tench’s attorney, Kerry O’Brien, could not be reached for comment.
The next phase of the trial will begin at 9 a.m. April 4. During the “mitigation phase,” Tench’s attorneys will attempt to persuade the jury to sentence Tench to life in prison rather than death.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.