Akron, Ohio — Bill Liming, the father of 17-year-old Ethan Liming, who many believe was racially targeted when he was beaten to death in May, has finally had enough. Despite months of relying on the criminal justice system to do the right thing, Bill now believes he’s been critically failed at every step of the way.

In an interview originally conducted by News 5 Cleveland, Bill Liming expressed his remorse with the Summit County Prosecutor’s office, a team of legal professionals supposedly in charge of fighting for Ethan’s justice. But after a bout of legal upsets which resulted in the indictment of far lesser charges for all three of Ethan’s alleged killers, Bill now believes his family is being victimized.

“I naively believed that once the people who murdered my son were caught that the justice system would simply handle things,” said Bill Liming. “We’ve said all along we were confident when the facts of the case were presented that Ethan would receive justice.”

“The people who have the power to stand up for my son are not doing it, so it’s up to me as a father to speak for my son who cannot speak for himself.”

Bill Liming

Ethan, a White teenager and star athlete from Akron’s Firestone High School, was beaten to death in the parking lot of the LeBron James “I Promise” school back in May. While new details have emerged since the original reporting, we now know for a fact that three men, Donovan Jones, Tyler Stafford, and Deshawn Stafford, pummeled young Ethan after a “Splatrball” water gun was discharged by one of Ethan’s three friends.

Bill Liming clarified the events that day by stating that Ethan’s friends ran back to the car after the water gun discharge, and the three alleged attackers initially ran away as well.

“When they figured out that they were not being shot by a real gun, they decided to go and confront Ethan and all of his friends who were in the car,” said Liming.

“It’s up to me as a father to speak for my son”

Bill Liming

Court documents revealed that Ethan stepped out of the car once it was approached by Stafford, Stafford, and Jones. Then, the White teenager was allegedly confronted and beaten, stomped, and pulverized by three grown Black men. Ethan’s own black friends tried to call 911, but after having been intimidated by Donovan Jones—who kicked the vehicle and attempted to punch and drag the boys out—they escaped with their lives.

Stafford, Stafford, and Jones were subsequently arrested by U.S Marshalls after a ten-day manhunt. In court, Prosecutors alleged that surveillance video exists showing Ethan’s friends running from Jones, but the video has yet to be made public.

Autopsy reports conducted after the killing revealed a shattered occipital bone created by the impact of Ethan’s skull on the pavement after being struck. Footprints were also reported to have been left on Ethan’s chest, evidence of having been beaten long after the initial blow.

“I naively believed that once the people who murdered my son were caught that the justice system would simply handle things,”

Bill Liming

Police originally charged Deshawn Stafford, his brother Tyler, and their cousin, Jones, with murder. But a few months later, a grand jury instead decided to indict the three on far lesser charges. Since then, many have claimed the move was outrageous and outlined a clear double standard in the criminal justice system.

But who is to ultimately blame? While Republican Circuit Court Judge Tamara A. “Tammy” O’Brien was the one responsible for lowering the bonds of all three alleged killers—so low that all three are out of jail—Bill Liming places the blame squarely on the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office. He believes that certain facts were omitted during initial meetings, and those who are supposed to be fighting hardest for his son aren’t really fighting at all.

Akron police were also the ones first to proclaim that race was not a factor in Ethan’s killing, despite the evidence.

“There is nothing that we have in our possession right now, any information at all indicating that race played a role in this homicide,” said Chief Steve Mylett of the Akron Police Department.

Bill Liming, however, thinks otherwise.

“I would like to believe race doesn’t play a role in this. I’m married to a Filipino woman. She’s got Black cousins. When we get together for extended family gatherings for birthdays, graduation parties for holidays, we’re a beautiful picture of what we hope to be a society. But when I asked Brian LoPrinzi in the initial prosecutor’s meeting I had with him, I asked him if race made a difference, if my son’s skin color made a difference in the way in which they are approaching it, and he said yes,” said Liming.

Bill Liming

Brian LoPrinzi, Chief Criminal Division with the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office, refuted the claim, and while he’s sorry Ethan is dead, he openly admits that he and his staff refuse to ever tangle with the racial aspect of the alleged murder.

“Mr. Liming’s accusations are not true. No parent should ever have to bury their child. We can’t imagine what Mr. Liming is going through. He’s trying to make sense of an act which no one can make sense of. We met with the Liming family and their attorney and explained the facts and evidence which we were legally permitted to tell them about. At no time did the race of any of those involved play a factor in the charges. We would never say, suggest, or will we ever suggest that this was a racially motivated crime. It is our job to see that justice is done. We cannot turn back the clock for the families we fight for.”

Brian LoPrinzi

Facing only misdemeanor assault charges, Donovan Jones entered a no-contest plea last month. He was given a suspended sentence and credited with time served. As a result, Bill Liming is outraged, and rightfully so. According to him, Prosecutors originally alleged it was Ethan’s fault that he was killed, due in part to what they claimed was “hood justice.”

“A source who was at the initial prosecutor’s meeting between the detectives and the prosecutors describe the prosecutor’s meeting as being very contentious,” Liming said. “Some of the prosecutors wanting felonious assault charges and murder charges, others basically wanted no charges at all, with one of the prosecutors saying that Ethan received ‘hood justice,’ which was a new term to me. I was unfamiliar with the terminology ‘hood justice,’ I guess implying Ethan got what he deserved.”

To add insult to injury, Bill asserted that in the wake of Ethan’s killing, he has been bombarded with vile and disgusting emails, some of which contained hateful, anti-White bigotry.

We’ve received emails celebrating the fact that my son’s head was crushed like a watermelon and laughing how his chest was stomped, and I’ve been called a white moron

Bill Liming

In the face of this surge of harassment and with unfair charges now having been issued by the DA, Bill is reversing course. He’s now demanding that the Summit County Prosecutor’s Office reexamine the charges issued to Ethan’s three alleged Black killers, acknowledge the racial aspect of the crime, and, if they’re unwilling to do so, step aside and let the Ohio Attorney General’s Office take control of the case.

Many believe that Ethan’s killing could qualify as a lynching under the Congressional Emmett Till Act. He has asked the FBI to investigate to find out if there is a civil rights violation.

Many doubt the willingness of the Bureau to lift a finger for someone like Bill Liming, a White man, considering their long history of openly targeting and antagonizing White people for their political beliefs. Warren Balogh of the pro-White National Justice Party—an organization that has marched twice demanding hate crimes for Ethan’s killers—had this to say when the Justice Report reached out for comment.

“Recent whistleblower revelations have exposed the FBI as nothing more than an anti-White political police,” said Balogh. “Obviously, Mr. Liming is correct to demand the FBI get involved; the NJP has made the same demand since the beginning. Sadly, I think the chances of getting anything resembling justice from Merrick Garland’s Justice Department are less than nothing at this point.”

“This is why the Ethan Liming case is about more than Ethan Liming. As a father myself, I’m acutely aware that if they can deny justice to Ethan’s family on racial grounds, they can do it to any of us. By fighting for Ethan, we’re fighting for our fundamental right to equal protection under the law—even for White people!”

Warren Balogh, National Justice Party

The Justice Report has reached out to Bill Liming but did not immediately receive a response. This report is ongoing.

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