27 March 2018 :

Christopher Whitaker (45, Black) sentenced to death. Common Pleas Judge Carolyn Friedland Monday followed the jury’s recommendation in sentencing Whitaker (see Feb. 23). Whitaker was found guilty of aggravated murder and charges including kidnapping and rape in Alianna DeFreeze’s death. Her body was found in an abandoned home in Cleveland in January 2017, three days after her mother reported her missing when she didn’t arrive at school. Authorities say Alianna, 14, was beaten and stabbed and the man’s DNA matched evidence. Whitaker, who pleaded not guilty, told investigators he was high on cocaine and blacked out. His attorney told jurors he’s remorseful. A death sentence was not the outcome Alianna's family wanted, they said. 'We preferred life without the possibility of parole, but we respect the judge's decision,' Alianna's father said. 'It's not over, it will never be over.'