BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—Mansfield attorney James Mayer III masterfully led his client through the events that led up to the death of Sean Cassaro. It took a jury less than a half hour to acquit Thomas Brown of Bucyrus Thursday morning in the strangulation death of Cassaro in January of 2023.
In a statement to Crawford County Now after the verdict, Mayer said:
“Sean (Boone) and I are really satisfied with the verdict and while I maintain that Tom should never should have been charged on these facts, I am grateful that the jury was able to resolve this so quickly in our favor. This was always a textbook self defense case, and frankly it was surprising to me that the prosecutors whether local or state saw it any other way. Tom Brown is a good man and I’m happy he and his family are able to get this behind them and move on with their lives.” Mayer said.
Brown admitted during his testimony that he had been partying with friends, drinking and driving, and trying to hook up with Rochelle Leonhardt. Brown confessed he had had a previous sexual encounter with Leonhardt some eight months earlier.
He told jurors his wife was not at home the night he had hoped for the rendezvous after the two had a chance encounter at a bar.
As Mayer took his client through the events leading up to the altercation, Brown revealed his friends had figured he was in a place he should not be with a person he should not be with and held him to account. At that point, Brown told Rochelle Leonhardt he needed to go home.
They said goodbye and Leonhardt got out of Brown’s vehicle. She was walking in front of his car when they heard yelling. Brown got out of the car and told the jury as soon as he recognized Cassaro he knew he was in trouble.
Brown contended he did not know that Cassaro and Leonhardt were romantically involved.
Mayer asked his client tough questions about his actions that night and Brown admitted he lied to police about some things because he didn’t want to explain himself to his wife.
Brown recalled in detail and often through tears the terrible ordeal as it unfolded in Leonhardt’s driveway. He told the jury the first punches felt like he’d been hit with a 2X4. He thought his front teeth were knocked out. He described in detail how Cassaro, who was an inch taller and a hundred pounds heavier than Brown, just rained down punch after punch to his face and head.
Brown told the jury he just held Brown down in a chokehold until he stopped swinging. At that point, he limped to his car and left the scene. He never touched Cassaro again. He was at home when the police arrived at his house.
Brown thought Cassaro had lodged a complaint against him. He told the jury he did not realize Cassaro had died till much later in the interrogation process.
Brown cooperated fully with the police and submitted to a DNA swab.
Brown was permitted to speak about a past prior violent act he knew of by Cassaro as a basis for his fear.
As Mayer pressed Brown to discuss his fears, Brown told the jury he knew that if he didn’t stop Cassaro it would be over for him, meaning he would die.
Although Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall recused himself from the case, Crawford County Now reached out to him for comment on this defeat and he said:
“Once a prosecutor recuses himself or herself, it is not appropriate to comment on the matter.”