The jury reached a verdict for the man charged with the murder of an Ohio State student at the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas yesterday.
Kevin Tolliver, 34, was convicted of one count of murder with a firearm specification in the Dec. 29 death of Claire Schneider, a senior in Spanish and international studies, said Mark Wodarcyk, assistant prosecuting attorney.
Sentencing will be held tomorrow at 1:30 p.m. in the Court of Common Pleas.
“We are expecting a sentence of 15 years to life with an additional three years for the gun,” Wodarcyk said.
Police discovered Schneider’s body in the bathroom of the 100 North St. apartment, where she and Tolliver lived, with a gunshot wound to the head.
Tolliver called his ex-wife Natasha Tolliver early in the morning of Dec. 29, asking for her to come to Schneider’s residence. She arrived at about 2 a.m. and found Kevin Tolliver covered with blood.
At the scene, Columbus homicide detectives found an automatic handgun in the sink, a bullet clip at the base of the sink and a shell casing in the hall, outside the bathroom.
A handwritten note was also found on the bathroom sink which read, “She did not know the gun was loaded. I loved her. Couldn’t find a phone.”
Detectives also found bloodstained leather gloves on the kitchen counter and other evidence indicating Schneider’s body was moved.
Kevin Tolliver’s trial began on June 3 and included several crucial witnesses for the state.
Peter Kovarik, who lived in the same building as Kevin Tolliver, said he saw Kevin Tolliver waiting for the elevator. He was wearing a bathrobe, “appeared sheepish” and ducked into an alcove, Kovarik said.
Paul Coulter, a Columbus Police officer, said when he confronted Kevin Tolliver he was talking on a cell phone, wearing a black bathrobe and his shins and feet were covered in blood.
Kevin Tolliver was also holding a bloody dish rag, Coulter said.
One of the most interesting points in the trial was when the jury was shown the bathroom door that was removed from the apartment.
A bullet hole was cut through the upper third part with strands of hair still attached to it. Blood was seen on the lower portion of the door.
