On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Deonta Boyd submitted a notice of appeal to the Supreme Court of Ohio, challenging a decision from the Erie County Court of Appeals, Sixth Appellate District, involving Judge Tygh M. Tone. The appeal stems from a February 14, 2025, ruling in which the Sixth Appellate District denied Boyd’s petition for a writ of mandamus, a legal action requesting that Judge Tone nullify several court judgments dating back to 2006. Boyd, representing himself, is currently incarcerated at Richland Correctional Institution in Mansfield, Ohio.

The case traces back to Boyd’s 2006 convictions in Erie County, where he pleaded guilty to reduced charges of aggravated murder with a firearm specification, felonious assault, and aggravated burglary. These charges originated from two separate cases, one filed in 2004 and another in 2005. Following his plea, Judge Tone sentenced Boyd to life imprisonment with parole eligibility after 20 years for the aggravated murder charge, three years for the firearm specification, and eight years for the aggravated burglary, with the terms to be served consecutively. The sentencing decision was finalized on June 5, 2006, and Boyd did not appeal at the time.

Instead, between June and July 2006, Boyd filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea, though it was not officially recorded on the trial court’s docket. The state responded to this motion on July 19, 2006, and Judge Tone denied it on August 7, 2006. Boyd did not appeal that denial. Over the years, Boyd has repeatedly sought to retract his guilty pleas and challenge his convictions, filing multiple motions and legal actions, all of which have been unsuccessful, according to prior court records.

In his latest effort, Boyd filed a petition for a writ of mandamus on January 16, 2025, asking the Sixth Appellate District to order Judge Tone to void all judgments issued after August 7, 2006, and nullify specific cases from 2020 and 2022. Boyd alleged that the state committed fraud by interfering with his ability to appeal his guilty plea and claimed the trial court, presided over by Judge Tone, also engaged in fraudulent actions. Additionally, Boyd argued that a December 2023 motion he filed under Civil Rule 60(B)(5) should have prompted a hearing before being ruled upon, asserting that the August 7, 2006, judgment was invalid due to improper filing procedures.

The Sixth Appellate District, in its February 14, 2025, decision, rejected Boyd’s petition. The court, led by Judge Myron C. Duhart and joined by Judges Thomas J. Osowik and Charles E. Sulek, determined that Boyd’s claims were barred by res judicata, a legal principle preventing the re-litigation of issues that could have been raised in earlier appeals. The court found no basis for Boyd to prove entitlement to the relief he sought and dismissed the action, assigning court costs to him.

Boyd’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Ohio contends that the case involves significant constitutional questions and matters of broad public interest.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.