MANSFIELD, Ohio — A 45-year-old man has been found guilty of kidnapping and killing his ex-girlfriend last year in Richland County.
A jury on Wednesday convicted John Mack Jr. of 17 criminal counts related to the death of 33-year-old Melinda Davis, including aggravated murder. Prosecutors had originally sought the death penalty against Mack but later dropped that specification, and the harshest sentence he can now face is life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The Richland County Sheriff's Office originally reported Davis, of Shelby, missing back in February of 2021. She had been believed to be going to see her ex-boyfriend Mack in Mansfield, and when neither of them were located, authorities issued an arrest warrant for Mack. City, county, and federal officials captured him just over a week later on kidnapping charges.
The search for Davis continued until mid-March, when Columbus police located her body in the trunk of her Black Volkswagen Jetta. Prosecutors subsequently tacked on homicide charges to Mack's case, and he has been in the Richland County Jail ever since on $1 million bond.
Earlier reporting:
Mack will be sentenced at a later date by Richland County Common Pleas Court Judge Brent N. Robinson. In addition, members of the county sheriff's and prosecutor's offices as well as the U.S. Marshals Service plan to hold a press conference Thursday afternoon in Mansfield.
