Staff file photo / Ed Runyan John E. Morgan, 47, of Campbell stands up and is handcuffed after the first guilty verdict is read in his murder trial. His attorneys, from left, Brandon Henderson and Justin Weatherly, are seen seated in front of him. He was found guilty in the killing of Daniel Peek Sr. in Youngstown in 2022. Morgan was sentenced to 18 years to life today.

YOUNGSTOWN — Perhaps because the defense made such an effort to personalize John E. Morgan and his family — even those who did not side with him — the verdict Wednesday afternoon finding Morgan guilty of murder and other offenses seemed personal.

Morgan, 47, of Campbell, was handcuffed as the first guilty verdict was read, and Morgan knew he would now be separated from his family for a long time after killing Daniel Peek Sr., 46, outside of Peek’s East Florida Avenue home July 31, 2022.

Prosecutors say his sentence is likely to be about 18 years to life for the murder and a gun specification. Additional convictions for voluntary manslaughter and felonious assault may not add to his sentence. Judge Maureen Sweeney of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court revoked bond for Morgan, who had been free since shortly after the shooting.

During the trial, Morgan’s daughter-in-law, Lisa Markijohn, described Morgan when she met him several years ago as a “shy Teddy bear,” and others described Morgan with words such as gentle and loving. John E. Morgan’s daughter, Kaitlynn Morgan, initially blamed Peek for the shooting, but she testified at the trial that she no longer felt that way.

Prosecutors said there was no good excuse for John E. Morgan, a 300-pound man with serious heart problems, to have pulled into Peek’s driveway in a hurry, ignored his daughter’s request for him to meet her down the street from Peek’s house and charge toward Peek with a gun in his hand.

INTENTIONAL ACT

The only good explanation was that Morgan went to the home where his estranged wife and daughter lived with Peek with intentions to hurt Peek, prosecutors said in closing arguments Tuesday.

“John is so afraid of the threats Danny (Peek Sr.) made to him that he ignores the text message from his daughter telling him she’s not going to be at the house and goes out of his way to go to that house,” Assistant Prosecutor Pat Fening said.

“He said he was just there to pick up his daughter. You saw the video. She’s at the end of the street. He had tunnel vision on Danny Peek,” Fening said.

Testimony at the trial was that Peek made a call to John E. Morgan to return a call Morgan made to his wife, Mary Morgan. During the call, Peek threatened John E. Morgan. The day of the killing, John E. Morgan and his daughter, Kaitlynn, made arrangements for John E. Morgan to pick up her and her young son at Peek’s house for a family dinner at John’s son’s house.

“What happened here was John was pissed off,” Fening said. “He knew he wasn’t supposed to be at (Peek’s) house. He went there anyway. He went there to settle a score.”

When the verdicts were read Wednesday and Morgan was led away, Peek’s family members embraced one another and cried, just as Morgan’s son, William Granger, and daughter-in-law, Markijohn, did.

None of Morgan’s or Peek’s family members wished to make a comment after the verdict, but Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova provided a statement saying Morgan “was brought to justice today. His ruthless shooting of Daniel Peek was callous. He shot and killed Peek in front of his son and will leave both of their families with a lifetime of sorrow.”

She credited the three assistant prosecutors on the case — Rob Andrews, chief of the criminal division; and assistant prosecutors Fening and Kyle Hilles — for their “dedication and hard work put forth during this case.”

The jury deliberated about an hour late Tuesday and for about five more hours Wednesday before finding Morgan guilty of the three charges and gun specifications. The jury found Morgan not guilty of another murder count that would have carried the same penalty as the one that received the guilty vote. Instead, the jury found Morgan guilty of a lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter.

A & E FILM CREW

In addition to a large group of onlookers present for the reading of the verdicts, there also was a film crew from the A & E network present. The crew was there from the start of the trial more than a week ago.

The crew filmed the testimony and other parts of the trial and was granted access to the defendant, his attorneys and others close to him. They were even allowed to film and record audio of conversations involving the defendant and his attorneys, especially during breaks in the trial and while the jury was deliberating.

John E. Morgan and his girlfriend, Megan Owens, told The Vindicator Wednesday while waiting for the verdict that someone from A & E learned about Morgan’s case and contacted John Morgan’s attorneys about it, asking to film it. His attorneys checked it out and assured Morgan that the crew was legitimate and could be trusted, John E. Morgan said.

Morgan had some concerns at first about the access the crew would have but said he left it up to his attorneys to ensure that it was the right thing to do. He said the coverage was a way to make sure “my side of the story is told.”

The two crew members, who are from London, said they could not talk about the specifics of the project they are working on, but A & E produces dozens of reality programs, such as “The First 48,” “Storage Wars,” “60 Days In, Court Cam,” “Accused Guilty or Innocent?” and others.

The crew did not have the same type of access to members of the prosecutor’s office. A & E contacted the court in advance to ensure that they were working under the rules of the court.

Have an interesting story? Contact Ed Runyan by email at erunyan@vindy.com.