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Extradition for man facing death penalty in Ohio

Posted at 4:41 PM, Oct 03, 2015
and last updated 2015-10-03 16:41:01-04

COVINGTON, Ky. – Kenton County officials dismissed the charges against an alleged bank robber and kidnapper Thursday, but the man won’t be going home free.

Instead, 20-year-old Akihiko Clayton is being returned to Ohio, where he faces the death penalty for allegedly killing a man and stabbing four children.

A Hamilton County grand jury indicted Clayton in August on charges he killed 33-year-old Emilio Ramirez and also stabbed three of Ramirez’s children and a teenage nephew in their Springdale apartment during a home invasion July 2. Two of the victims were twin 2-year-old girls.

"Anyone who's willing to stab 2-year-olds deserves the death penalty and that's what's going to happen. This is as clear-cut as it gets," Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters said after the indictment.

Clayton fled while police responded to 911 calls from the Willows of Springdale apartment complex. Officers arrived shortly after midnight and found blood on the apartment door.

The victims were hospitalized after what Springdale police Chief Michael Mathis called a "savage" attack. Some of the children required surgery.

Clayton was later arrested after he robbed a Huntington Bank in Latonia with a toy pistol July 28, according to the Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Office. Police said at the time that they caught him as he was running out the front door with the money and phony weapon.

Because Clayton allegedly used a toy gun – and not a real gun – to rob the bank, Kentucky law considers the robbery and kidnapping charges filed against him to be “non-violent,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders said. That means he would be eligible for parole within four years.

"Obviously this guy is very violent," Sanders said.

In Ohio, Clayton faces two counts of aggravated murder (capital offense), one count of aggravated burglary, one count of aggravated robbery, four counts of attempted murder and eight counts of felonious assault.