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Man gets 28 years to life in prison for 2018 Akron barbershop murder

Mahdi shot two people inside the former John's Barbershop on East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue in August of 2018. 35-year-old William Pickett died at the scene.

AKRON, Ohio — An Akron man will potentially serve the rest of his life in prison for a fatal shooting at a barbershop more than four years ago.

Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Tammy O'Brien sentenced 29-year-old Salah Mahdi on Tuesday, further stating that the convicted killer will be eligible for parole after 28 years. A jury convicted Mahdi three weeks ago on charges of aggravated murder, murder, and having a weapon under disability.

According to prosecutors, Mahdi shot two people inside the former John's Barbershop on East Cuyahoga Falls Avenue in August of 2018. While a 33-year-old man was shot in the leg and eventually survived, 35-year-old William Pickett died from his injuries at the scene.

It was not until December of 2019 that Mahdi was arrested for the murder. At the time of the crime, he had been prohibited from having a gun due to a prior felony guilty plea for trafficking heroin, and court records also show convictions for weapons charges, aggravated assault, and vandalism. He had been in the Summit County Jail on $1 million bond since his latest arrest.

Credit: Summit County Sheriff's Office
Mugshot of Salah Mahdi

    

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