Death Penalty Sought Against Man Accused in Marion Stabbings

Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan announced Thursday that he will seek the death penalty against Donald Alan Adams following a Grand Jury indictment on multiple counts of aggravated murder and related felonies.

The 41-year-old Adams was arrested by officers from the Delaware Police Department in connection to the stabbing that occurred in the 1800 block of Twin Lakes Drive in Marion on August 19.

31-year-old Taylor Rae Coleman was found dead from stab wounds at the scene, and another stabbing victim, a 50-year-old female, was flown to a Columbus hospital and is still fighting for her life.

According to a release from the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, the Marion County Grand Jury charged Adams with aggravated murder, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and felonious assault stemming from a knife attack on August 19. Adams’ most recent address was on Parkwood Avenue in Columbus, but last week, he was staying in the apartment where the crimes occurred.

According to the investigation, Adams and the woman who was killed were in a romantic relationship. Around 9:27 p.m., multiple neighbors heard loud screams coming from the unit where Adams and two women were inside. Neighbors called 911.

Investigators believe Adams stabbed the first victim, then repeatedly stabbed the second woman, causing life-threatening injuries. He then returned to the first victim and inflicted a deep fatal wound to her neck. She died at the scene. The second stabbing victim suffered multiple severe stab wounds and was transported to a Columbus hospital for emergency treatment, where she is still under care.

Security cameras captured Adams fleeing the scene minutes before law enforcement arrived. Following the trail, Delaware City Police later apprehended Adams at a gas station in the City of Delaware.

The indictment also includes a repeat violent offender specification based on Adams’ prior conviction for felonious assault in Muskingum County in 2016.

Grogan will prosecute the case along with Assistant Prosecutor Allison Kesler and Assistant Prosecutor Mark Weaver. Weaver previously served on the Ashland County prosecution team that successfully sent a notorious serial killer to death row.

Prosecutor Grogan said the decision to seek the death penalty reflects the calculated and extreme nature of the attack.

“This brutal and deliberate attack left one woman dead and another fighting for her life,” Grogan said. “Ohio law permits the death penalty when someone engages in a course of conduct that kills or attempts to kill two or more people. That’s what happened here and I won’t rest until justice is done in this case.”

Adams remains in custody at the Multi County Corrections Center, and he will be arraigned on the indictment on August 31.