Lorain County Common Pleas Court has consolidated three cases against James Lavern Kimbrough III for his alleged role in crimes against Milenna Lopez, the mother of four children, and her eventual death.
Fifteen counts were consolidated for purposes of jury trial and the case has been set for a live pretrial on April 17, according to court records.
The court date nearly falls on the one year mark since Kimbrough was apprehended after being on the run since Lopez’s death on Jan. 6, 2022.
Kimbrough was listed as the area’s most wanted fugitive for months until his capture.
He remains in the Lorain County Jail on a $2,030,000 bond, according to jail records.
During earlier proceedings, Kimbrough generally attended the hearings through a video conference call from the jail which was shown in the courtroom.
Only on a handful of occasions has Kimbrough been brought to the courthouse in person by the Lorain County Jail staff.
Lopez, the mother of four children, including two of Kimbrough’s, was fatally shot late-morning while she was taking a break at her workplace, McDonald’s restaurant, 5250 Detroit Road in Sheffield Village, police have said.
Lorain Police Department records detail a turbulent romantic relationship between the couple which resulted in three separate indictments being handed down for three cases that include alleged violations against Lopez.
The counts against Kimbrough include aggravated murder, three counts of murder, and single counts of felonious assault, tampering with evidence, having weapons while under disability, violating a protection order, burglary, criminal damaging or endangering, aggravated burglary, kidnapping, endangering children and two counts domestic violence, court records stated.
A Lorain County grand jury indicted Kimbrough on the abovementioned charges Nov. 24, 2021; May 17, 2022 and June 17, 2022, court records show.
All charges stem from filings in Lorain and Avon Lake municipal courts.
