5 Dayton men convicted of 2019 kidnapping conspiracy that resulted in victim’s death

Dayton, Ohio – The final of five defendants has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to participating in the summer 2019 kidnapping and subsequent death of Kwasi Casey, whose body was later found in a detached garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton.

Devon Love, 29, admitted to conspiring with four others to kidnap and abduct the victim at gunpoint on July 7, 2019.

Mr. Casey was taken to one of the defendant’s homes, where he was held against his will and beaten with a baseball bat. Another defendant made ransom demands of the victim’s family.

Court documents detail that the victim escaped on July 8, 2019, but was recaptured and forced into a co-conspirator’s minivan, where the victim was again physically assaulted. Mr. Casey ultimately died as a result of the defendants’ actions.

Between July and September 2019, the defendants concealed the victim’s body at a garage on Fountain Ave. in Dayton. On Sept. 17, 2019, the defendants set the garage on fire to destroy evidence and the victim’s body. On Sept. 26, 2019, the victim’s burnt remains were recovered from the burnt garage.

Eric Blackshear, 43; Antoine Dye, 37; Markale Thomas, 28; and Ryan Reese, 27; have also pleaded guilty in this case. Blackshear was sentenced in June 2022 to 360 months in prison. The other four defendants are pending sentencing.

Sentencing of the defendants is determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Kenneth L, Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal and J. William Rivers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the plea entered before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Amy M. Smith and Executive Assistant United States Attorney Christy L. Muncy are representing the United States in this case.

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