A Canton teenager has been ordered to spend at least 24 years in prison after a jury found him responsible for killing a young father during a vape cartridge deal.
Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin Farmer issued the sentence on Nov. 19 for 18-year-old Malachi L. Fortner. The decision came the same day jurors convicted him of murder, felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon, along with firearm specifications. Farmer also ruled that Fortner was guilty of having a weapon while under disability — a charge she decided after Fortner waived a jury trial. He was barred from having a gun because of a prior juvenile assault conviction in 2023.
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Prosecutors said Fortner shot 21-year-old Stephon Dunn in the back on May 8 outside Fortner’s home on Clarendon Avenue SW. Dunn was rushed to Aultman Hospital, where he died from injuries to his heart and spine. Dunn leaves behind a 2-year-old daughter.
Investigators said Dunn, his girlfriend and a mutual friend of Fortner’s went to the home that day to buy three THC vape cartridges for $30. The meeting quickly turned violent, ending in Dunn’s death and Fortner’s conviction.
