Jeno L. Wall, also known as Mally, is shackled after being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for shooting Robert E. “Hubba” Herron to death on Sept. 9, 2024 in Wellsville. A jury found him guilty of aggravated murder, murder and intimidation after deliberating for more than three and a half hours Monday. (Photo by Mary Ann Greier)

LISBON — Jeno L. Wall continued to claim his innocence Monday after a jury found him guilty of murdering Robert E. “Hubba” Herron on Sept. 9, 2024 in Wellsville, earning him a life sentence in prison with no chance for parole.

“There is no more serious offense than when there’s a loss of life,” Columbiana County Common Pleas Court Judge Megan Bickerton said.

A subdued Wall sat silent as Bickerton followed the recommendation of the prosecution and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole for aggravated murder (and the merged murder count), an additional mandatory three years for the firearm specification and an additional three years for intimidation of an attorney, victim or witness in a criminal case, a third-degree felony.

He was also designated a violent offender and received credit for 272 days served in jail.

Wall, 35, formerly of Steubenville, had been accused of hitting and shooting Herron, 30, of East Liverpool, to death at a property on 10th Street in Wellsville. Two eyewitnesses testified to being there when he hit him and fired a single gunshot. The intimidation charge stemmed from Wall threatening one of the eyewitnesses, James R. “Jimmy” Howell.

“Mr. Wall, I hope you do some soul searching. I hope you take the time to better yourself,” Bickerton said.

Bickerton and Wall butted heads several times during the course of the jury trial, which started a week ago. Wall interrupted testimony of Wellsville Police Patrolman Caden Weekley with an outburst and also interrupted when Wellsville Police Lt. Marsha Eisenhart took the stand.

During his own testimony, he kept talking over county Assistant Prosecutor Tammie Riley Jones as she attempted to ask him questions, even refusing to answer and at one point asking one of his defense attorneys, Joe King, for help. Throughout, he kept saying he didn’t kill anybody and that he was no murderer.

The jury of eight women and four men received the case close to 5 p.m. Friday and opted to not begin deliberations until 8 a.m. Monday morning. During deliberations, they requested to watch the video evidence and just before 11:45 a.m., they indicated they had a verdict — guilty on all counts. They also found in favor of both firearm specifications, indicating a belief that Wall used a gun to commit the aggravated murder and murder. The defense team of King and defense attorney Charley Kidder asked that the jurors be polled and one by one, each one of the 12 said yes when asked if it was their verdict.

The two murder counts merged for sentencing, with the prosecution choosing to have the sentence based on the aggravated murder count.

“We believe that the defendant’s actions that day were extremely heinous,” County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Weeda said, referring to both Sept. 9, 2024 and Sept. 10, 2024.

He said the defendant committed a crime that was the most serious a person can commit, taking the life of another. He also said he showed no remorse.

“He showed no accountability in this case,” Weeda said.

He requested consecutive sentences after recounting Wall’s criminal record dating back to 2014 which included charges of domestic violence, assault, discharging a firearm over a highway and criminal trespassing.

The victim’s mother and sister were in the courtroom and attended every day of the trial and all of Wall’s hearings and quietly shed some tears after the verdict was read. They chose not to address the court.

Kidder asked for a sentence that would allow for parole after 20 or 30 years to give his client an opportunity.

Bickerton advised Wall of his right to file an appeal and noted that she knew he had stated his innocence and didn’t have to address the court, but he stood up and spoke briefly, saying he understood they were all just doing their jobs.

“I’m just saying I didn’t do it,” Wall said.

Bickerton noted that looking at the evidence and his testimony, not only was he unable to provide an alibi, she told Wall “your story was not even credible.”

She told him she had no hard feelings for him making comments in her court. What she’s looking at is how everything occurred to the victim.

“He lay there by himself, horrible way to die,” Bickerton said.

She said it was clear that everybody was using drugs so it was hard to figure out what happened. She didn’t know what the issue was, why he felt the need to shoot the Mr. Herron that night.

“Based on the evidence I heard, this is the appropriate sentence for the conduct,” Bickerton said.

After the hearing, Weeda offered thanks for the hard work of the Wellsville Police Department and Lt. Marsha Eisenhart for their countless hours on this investigation and for continuing to investigate, for the help of the Ohio Bureau of Investigation, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiners’s Office, East Palestine Police Detective Dan Haueter and the investigators from the prosecutor’s office.

Calling it a group effort, he said, “I think it was a great outcome.”

When asked what the conviction means for Hubba’s family, Weeda said “it’s some closure hopefully for them. It’s never going to bring a son or a brother back, but at least they know the person who pulled the trigger will be spending his life in prison.”

Columbiana County Prosecutor Vito Abruzzino announced the verdict and sentence on social media, also thanking the Columbiana County Coroner’s Office and the county’s Major Crimes Task Force.

Brandon R. Kessler, 42, Wellsville was one of the eyewitnesses and will face sentencing at 1 p.m. Nov. 21 for charges of obstructing justice and tampering with evidence, both third-degree felonies, for not telling investigators everything he knew about what happened. He told them from the beginning that Wall was the shooter, after learning his name, but delayed telling them that he himself was told to dispose of the murder weapon and threw the gun in the Ohio River.

As part of the plea agreement, he had to testify in Wall’s trial, which he did last week. According to the proposed felony plea agreement, the recommended sentence for Kessler will be five years in prison.

mgreier@mojonews.com