Akron police detectives have charged a parolee with murder and robbery in connection with last week’s strangulation of an Ellet man.
Shannon Mount, 43, already was in the Summit County Jail after he was arrested Thursday while driving Leonard McHaddon’s car about four hours after McHaddon’s body was found in his Ripley Avenue home.
Mount is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and receiving stolen property.
A woman who was with Mount when he was arrested has not been charged. Police say they are investigating her potential involvement or the involvement of others.
McHaddon’s son, Todd McHaddon, discovered the body when he went to the home about 8 a.m. Thursday to drive his 68-year-old father to a doctor’s appointment, police said. There were no signs of forced entry.
Police say Leonard Mc-Haddon was acquainted with Mount, who visited the victim’s home sometime Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Robbery appears to be the motive.
Police have said several items were missing from McHaddon’s home, including his 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix and his wallet. Mount was arrested about noon Thursday while driving the car on Canton Road, about a mile from McHaddon’s home.
Police Detective Lt. David Whiddon said it appears McHaddon met Mount in the past several months and that Mount might have offered to do work on the victim’s computer.
Police believe McHaddon, a retired truck driver, was attacked in his bedroom. Because of mobility and other health problems, which included an injured back, a large build and heart problems, McHaddon might have been unable to defend himself in a struggle with a younger adversary, police said.
An autopsy showed McHaddon died from manual strangulation.
McHaddon, known to his friends as “Lenny,” was widowed after 38 years of marriage when his wife, Rosemary, died in 2008. They had three children. Police say a truck driver friend lived with McHaddon, but the man was working at the time of the attack.
Family members have declined to comment.
Mount was paroled from prison in October after serving time for aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary and theft. In that 2006 case, Mount and another man broke into a Stanwood Avenue home in Akron. A 21-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter were tied up and robbed at gunpoint.
He reached a plea deal and was sentenced to five years in prison. It was his second robbery conviction and second prison stint. In 2002, he was sentenced to two years for robbery.
Phil Trexler can be reached at 330-996-3717 or ptrexler@thebeaconjournal.com.
