A Cleveland man is set to be executed for the cold-blooded murders of a husband and wife and their dog inside their family-owned car dealership on Good Friday 2017, culminating a brutal crime that shattered a family and terrorized a community. Joseph McAlpin, now 32, showed no remorse as a judge formally sentenced him to death, upholding a jury’s recommendation after he represented himself at an unprecedented trial.
McAlpin was convicted of the aggravated murders of Michael Kousnik, 50, and Trina Tomola, 46, at their Mr. Cars dealership on East 185th Street. The couple’s dog, Axel, was also shot and killed. Prosecutors described the killings as a demonic act committed during a robbery for cash and cars, leaving a neighborhood in fear.
The crime unfolded on April 14, 2017, as the couple prepared to end their workday. They had already placed Easter baskets in their car and planned to pick up dinner on the way home to their three children. Surveillance footage showed a figure in a dark hoodie and red sweatpants entering the dealership just after 5:20 p.m.
What happened inside was captured only by the aftermath. Michael Kousnik was shot twice in the head, once from a few feet away and a second time at point-blank range as he tried to flee. Trina Tomola was shot once in the back of the skull as she moved toward an exit. Their Doberman was killed in the hallway between them.
The killer disabled the security system, taking the digital video recorder. He stole at least $7,500 in cash from the day’s sales and fled in a 2008 BMW from the lot, while an accomplice drove off in a Mercedes. The couple’s children waited at home for a dinner that never arrived.
The investigation, involving Cleveland police and the FBI, quickly zeroed in on McAlpin. DNA matching his profile was found on a modem ripped from the wall in the back office, inside Michael Kousnik’s pocket, and in the stolen BMW. Cell phone records placed his device at the scene during the murders.
His Google account revealed searches for firearms days before the crime and, in the early hours of April 15, for how to salvage a BMW and switch a vehicle title without permission. Accomplice Andrew Keener testified that McAlpin organized the robbery, entered the dealership with a gun, and later called him to retrieve a stolen car.
At trial, McAlpin made the extraordinary decision to represent himself, a first for a capital case in Cuyahoga County. Over 22 days, he cross-examined witnesses, including the victims’ son, who discovered the bodies, to whom he offered condolences before questioning.
He argued a conspiracy theory, claiming DNA could have been transferred from a prior visit and that the state’s evidence was manipulated. The jury rejected his claims, convicting him on all counts after two days of deliberation. The penalty phase took just 30 minutes for jurors to recommend death.
At sentencing, McAlpin offered no apology. “My fight’s going to continue,” he stated. The victims’ family, in a written statement, said their hearts were forever broken, but they were “greatly relieved that justice has been served.”
Judge Brian Corrigan imposed the death sentence, calling it the only fitting punishment. McAlpin’s execution was initially scheduled for May 19, 2026. His direct appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court failed in 2022, with justices unanimously upholding his conviction and sentence.
However, that execution date will not be carried out as scheduled. Governor Mike DeWine has issued an unofficial moratorium on executions in Ohio due to an inability to obtain lethal injection drugs. Dozens of reprieves have been issued, effectively halting the state’s death chamber.
McAlpin remains on death row as additional post-conviction appeals are pending. The legal road ahead is narrow, but the state’s political landscape could change with a new administration. For now, the clock is stopped, but the sentence for the Good Friday murders that destroyed two families remains irrevocably in place.
Source: YouTube