Investigators recount challenges of John Mack Jr. case

The John Mack Jr. trial was one for the ages.

Mack, 45, was sentenced Thursday morning to life in prison without parole plus 20½ years for the brutal beating of Melinda Davis, his ex-girlfriend, on Feb. 25, 2021.

He was convicted of all 17 counts, including aggravated murder, at the end of a nearly three-week trial in Richland County Common Pleas Court.

The county sheriff's office hosted a news conference Thursday afternoon to recognize all who helped on the case.

"It was one of the most complex litigation cases in the history of Richland County," Prosecutor Gary Bishop said.

Mansfield man guilty in 2021 murder:John Mack Jr. sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole

'Nothing will bring me closure':John Mack Jr. found guilty of murder in death of Melinda Davis

Sheriff Steve Sheldon said the case involved 17 agencies and 7,000 hours of investigation. He referred to it as a "hideous crime."

"The first thing we need to do is give our condolences to the victim's family," Sheldon said. "Everybody in law enforcement goes through a lot of upheaval in a case like this, but it's even worse for the families."

The news conference offered a chance to recognize those involved in the investigation for a job well done. Sheldon lauded Detectives Jason Shoemaker and Josh Dawson.

Bishop also recognized the detectives. He said in his 36-year career, he could not recall two "finer detectives."

Law enforcement sympathizes with Davis' family

Like Sheldon, Bishop lamented what Davis' family has been through in the last 20 months.

"They still have a long road ahead of them," the prosecutor said. "Hopefully, the healing process can now start in earnest for them."

Also like Sheldon, Bishop praised his staff. He said prosecutors often go unrecognized.

"They don't seek recognition. They just want to do their job," Bishop said.

Trying the Mack case for the state were First Assistant Prosecutor Jodie Schumacher and Assistant Prosecutors Matt Metcalf and Andrew Wick.

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Bishop had been involved but had to step away for cancer treatments.

"I've been benched," he said. "On very short notice, I had to inform my staff that I was not going to be there to try the case."

He especially credited Schumacher, who had to run the office in his absence while preparing for the county's biggest trial in several years.

"I can't say enough about the dedication, the work that she did both day and night," Bishop said. "Jodie's the kind of person who gives everything 110%. She just doesn't let up."

The Shelby Police Department was the first agency involved in the case, when Davis was reported missing. Shelby reached out to the U.S. marshals for assistance.

Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fitzgibbon attended Thursday's press conference. He said Shelby "knew something wasn't right."

"The community was ravaged by such a heinous crime," Fitzgibbon said.

Investigators take questions at news conference

Following the remarks of Sheldon, Bishop and Fitzgibbon, those involved with the case took questions.

Schumacher said investigators never determined a motive for the crime. Mack did not talk to law enforcement.

"To this day, he has denied any wrongdoing," Schumacher said.

In a surprise move, Mack took the witness stand to give his account. He testified for several hours over two days.

"We were comfortable that we had points that we could cross-examine John," Schumacher said. "We had good anticipation of that."

Metcalf handled the cross-examination.

"He said a lot of things that were inconsistent with factual things we knew," the assistant prosecutor said. "He had bad answers to a lot of the questions."

Mack stayed overnight Feb. 24 in Columbus with his then-girlfriend before heading back to his residence in the 500 block of Cliffside Drive early the morning of Feb. 25.

Trial testimony of John Mack Jr. recounted

On the witness stand, he testified that when he arrived, the mother of his oldest son was parked outside. He said a jealous Davis showed up and brawled with the woman he called Genevieve Atkins while he wasn't there.

There's no evidence to back up his claims.

"Genevieve was one of those people that we were trying to reach," Schumacher said. "We have nothing that suggests Genevieve Atkins actually exists."

She said Detective Dawson was on her trail and has never failed to find someone.

"All of our efforts were fruitless," Schumacher said.

Mack rented a car in Columbus for a week and put more than 2,300 miles on it. Detective Shoemaker said Mack drove throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.

"Most of that was in a two-day period," the detective said.

Schumacher also answered a question about having an all-woman jury in what essentially was a domestic violence case. Six of the women showed up for sentencing.

"It never factored in for our team," Schumacher said. "That was not intended by any means."

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland County Sheriff's Office holds press conference on Mack case