Ohio man gets two life sentences for 2022 killings of sisters in Ashland
An Ohio man who pleaded guilty to killing two sisters in Ashland was sentenced Monday to two life sentences behind bars.
A Boyd Circuit Court on Monday sentenced 36-year-old John Tooson for the murders of Selina Easter, 20, and Summer Algarakhuly, 18, two young mothers and sisters prosecutors said were “terrorized” inside Easter’s apartment in June 2022.
Tooson shot both women while Algarakhuly’s newborn daughter was in a nearby room. He later fled and was captured by authorities in Toledo, Ohio, according to Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and Boyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rhonda Copley.
Tooson pleaded guilty in April to two counts of murder, one count of first-degree robbery, one count of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and single counts of wanton endangerment and being a persistent felony offender.
Ashland police said Tooson stole Easter’s car after the double homicide and fled to Toledo where he was involved in a standoff with police and shot himself. He was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries.
“A mother can never be replaced. The sentences delivered do not heal the emptiness left behind, but, we hope, provide justice for all those who loved these two young women,” Coleman said in a statement.
Tooson could be eligible for parole after 25 years. His sentencing “brings accountability for the senseless and tragic loss of two young lives,” said Copley.
She said she hopes the sentencing “can bring peace to the family.”
