Jury finds Denny Ross guilty of murder in retrial for 1999 Akron death of Hannah Hill

AKRON, Ohio - Jurors in Akron have found Denny Ross guilty of the 1999 murder of Hannah Hill.

The jury deliberated over four days before reaching their decision.

Ross was found guilty on all counts -- murder, felonious assault, tampering with evidence and abuse of a corpse.

NewsChannel5's Bob Jones reports Ross stared ahead and showed no emotion as he was found guilty on all charges.

Hill's mother, Kim Hill, said, "A huge burden has been lifted and only God could have done it."

Hill's father, Elza Hill, cried after the verdict was read on his 73rd birthday. He called the jury's decision "his best birthday present." Mr. Hill added,  "It's been a long time coming. It's been hard on the family."

Jennifer Tittle, was raped by Ross in 2004, while Ross was out on bond, after his first murder trial ended in a mistrial. She testified against Ross in the latest trial.

"He's a monster. He's evil and he has no spirit. He's an empty, evil soul. He's damned to hell, obviously," Tittle said.

Brad Oborn, Hill's former boyfriend, said there is finally justice after 13 years. The defense tried to blame Oborn for the murder during the trial.

"It's a shame that he couldn't come out and admit what he did, but I have faith that no matter what the sentence... he'll make a higher sentence with God," Oborn said.

But Ross' attorney, Roger Synenberg, said there will be an appeal, a point that Ross' father, Allen Ross, also stressed.

"Do I think there will be a round three? You can bank on it," Allen Ross said.

Sentencing for Ross in Summit County Common Pleas Court is set for Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 3 p.m. He is not eligible for the death penalty.

Ross is currently serving a 25-year-to-life sentence for beating and raping Tittle.

Prosecutors said Hill was strangled during a violent sexual encounter  inside Ross' Springfield Township apartment. Her body was placed inside the trunk of her car, a Geo Prism. Police found Hill about a week after she was reported missing.

Ross was originally tried in 2000, but a judge declared a mistrial after learning jurors discussed a lie detector test that wasn't admitted in open court. After a decade of appeals, the court ruled he could be tried again for the crimes.

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