A Toledo woman was found guilty of murder and felonious assault Wednesday in the fatal stabbing death of her boyfriend.
The guilty findings against Sharonda Tuggle, 31, in the death of Lawrence Stuart, 30, were made by Judge Stacy Cook at the conclusion of a two-day trial in Lucas County Common Pleas Court.
As Judge Cook read her verdict, a dozen members of the victim’s family stifled their sobs in the gallery. Nine members of the defendant’s family sat quietly two rows behind them, some holding their heads in their hands, some silently crying and hugging each other.
Tuggle’s defense attorney, James Popil, argued that the stabbing was self-defense, but the judge believed otherwise. It happened after a night full of arguments turned violent at the couple’s shared apartment in the 1100 block of Artis Place.
Mr. Stuart was found suffering from multiple wounds in the apartment’s bathroom that morning. He later died at Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center, and the Lucas County coroner found that he was stabbed in the chest and upper right arm, as well as sliced across the forehead. His death was ruled a homicide April 25.
Tuggle, who called 911 to report that Mr. Stuart had been stabbed, would not answer when the 911 dispatcher asked who stabbed him. Her claims later ranged from Mr. Stuart falling onto the knife, to suicide, and finally to self-defense once detectives mentioned that possibility during an interview.
Keith Douglas, Mr. Stuart’s brother, said that the family was very satisfied with the verdict.
“I feel most definitely [we got] justice, but closure takes time,” Mr. Douglas said. “Our life’s been on pause since April 23, so now it’s time for us to heal. This is the first step.”
The next step would be attending Tuggle’s sentencing hearing on Nov. 21.
It would be difficult to get through, to relive the death of their loved one yet another time, said Susan Norwood, Mr. Stuart’s mother. But Mr. Douglas hugged her, whispering, “We gotta do it for him.”
On Monday, Tuggle waived her right to a trial by jury, opting instead to have Judge Cook decide her fate.
Both the trial dates and the sentencing date had significance to Mr. Stuart’s family. His grandmother’s birthday was Tuesday, the second day of the trial, and her death date was Nov. 22, one day after sentencing.
“It’s meant to happen,” Mr. Douglas said. “They say things happen for a reason, My grandma took him in. It was meant to happen on these dates, that’s how I feel.”
“My mom… she’s got him right there,” Ms. Norwood said, looking up at the ceiling, tears welling in her eyes. “I don’t think I’m ever gonna heal. I just suffer in silence every day.”
Ms. Norwood and Mr. Douglas’ reactions were parallel images of grief — a woman in tears, struggling to keep it together, and a man staring ahead, completely straight-faced. Her rock.
Ms. Norwood said that Mr. Douglas carried a lot of the emotional burden in the six months since his brother’s death. Now, she said, he can finally decompress.
“It went exactly as it should’ve, and I’m just so grateful for the prosecutor,” she said. “I’m very, very happy. I can sleep now.”
Mr. Stuart lived with his mother almost his whole life, all the way up until his death. Ms. Norwood says she still talks to him all the time, even without him physically present.
“You’ve got his ash box right there,” Mr. Douglas reassured him. “He’s still living with you now. He ain’t going nowhere.”
First Published November 2, 2022, 8:20 p.m.
