BUCYRUS, OH (CRAWFORD COUNTY NOW)—The murder trial of Thomas Brown, accused of the January 2023 strangulation death of Sean Cassaro, is underway. Special Prosecutor Drew Wood outlined the prosecution’s case, detailing a night of celebration, confrontation, and tragedy.
Cassaro and his intermittent girlfriend, Rochelle Leonhardt, had been celebrating her birthday before an encounter with Brown at the Crazy Fox bar led to a series of events culminating in Cassaro’s death. Brown, who had a history with Leonhardt, allegedly applied a lethal jujitsu chokehold on Cassaro during a fight at Leonhardt’s home.
The defense, led by attorney Sean Boone, largely concurred with the prosecution’s account but disputed the cause of Cassaro’s death. They argue that Brown acted in self-defense and attribute Cassaro’s death to cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart and methamphetamine use, not the chokehold.
The trial continues, with Brown set to testify and a defense expert expected to challenge the cause of death. The prosecution argues that Brown’s self-defense plea does not meet legal criteria, as the person claiming self-defense cannot be the perpetrator. The case highlights the complexities of self-defense claims and the potential for lethal outcomes in physical confrontations.