Erica Stefanko’s retrial for the pizza delivery murder case will shift from the prosecution to the defense this morning.
Mike Stefanko, Erica’s husband and the former best friend of Chad Cobb, Erica’s former husband who is serving a life sentence, will testify. Mike was the lone defense witness in Erica’s first trial.
The question will then be whether Erica will take the stand. After a lengthy debate, she chose not to testify in her previous trial in November 2020.
What we know about the pizza delivery murder case
Stefanko’s retrial in Summit County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer Towell’s courtroom started last week after being delayed twice because of a new jury pool being brought in and prosecutors who were ill.
Stefanko, 41, of Rittman is accused of making a bogus pizza delivery call that lured Ashley Biggs to a New Franklin business where she was killed in 2012. Biggs, 25, of Jackson Township, was tased, beaten and strangled with a zip tie.
Cobb accepted a plea agreement in 2013 in which he pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and numerous other charges in exchange for not facing the death penalty. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
At the time of Biggs’ slaying, Cobb and Biggs were embroiled in a heated custody dispute involving their then-7-year-old daughter.
Stefanko was convicted of aggravated murder and murder after a trial in November 2020 that happened at a time when few trials were proceeding because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her conviction was overturned in July 2022 when an appellate court ruled that Chad Cobb should not have been permitted to testify via video.
Stefanko, who had been incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, has been held at the Summit County Jail in the time leading up to and during her retrial.
Chad Cobb says Stefanko shares in the blame for the slaying
Chad Cobb, who appeared in court in person, testified during Stefanko’s retrial for more than six hours last week He said Stefanko shares the blame for Biggs’ slaying.
He said he used a taser on Biggs and severely beat her, but Stefanko put zip ties on Biggs’ neck, hands and feet.
Cobb said he learned when he was in prison that Erica was having an affair with Mike Stefanko, his long-time close friend and employee, and was pregnant with Mike’s child. Cobb and Erica divorced and she married Mike.
Another key witness for the prosecution was the daughter of Biggs and Cobb, now 18, who said she overheard Stefanko make the fake pizza delivery call on the night of Biggs’ murder. Stefanko and Cobb had all four of their young children in the car as they drove to and from Wayne County that night.
Cindee Cobb, Chad’s mother, testified about a secret three-hour conversation she recorded of Stefanko in which Stefanko discussed Biggs’ murder. Stefanko said in the conversation that she made the bogus pizza order and did what Cobb asked her to do. She also said she would be in prison if the extent of her involvement was known.
New Franklin detective Michael Hitchings, who led the investigation into Biggs’ murder, was the final prosecution witness on Friday.
Trial expected to wrap up by Tuesday
Depending on how long the defense testimony takes, Stefanko’s trial is expected to conclude with closing arguments, possibly on Tuesday morning.
The jury will then begin deliberating.
The jury in Stefanko’s first trial debated for 14 hours over three days before returning with a verdict that found her guilty of one type of aggravated murder and murder. They acquitted her of another type of aggravated murder and murder and numerous other charges.
If convicted again, Stefanko faces between 20 years to life and life without parole. She was sentenced to life in prison with possible parole after 30 years after her first trial.
Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at [email protected], 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Defense takes over in Erica Stefanko’s pizza delivery murder retrial
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email [email protected] Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
