(Editor’s Note: Juror deliberations began Monday, November 23.)
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Ashley Nicole Biggs, 25, was murdered. How many people were responsible? Chad Cobb, the father of her daughter, already pleaded guilty to being the actual killer, but prosecutors in Summit County, Ohio now say that his then-wife Erica Stefanko, 37, played a role too.
Biggs, a Domino’s pizza delivery driver and a former Army vet, was murdered late on June 20, 2012. Investigators claim that a female caller lured her to a closed business, where Cobb ambushed her by tasing, beating, and then using a zip tie to strangle her. Biggs and Cobb has been in the middle of a custody battle over their daughter.
#StefankoTrial – Erica Stefanko was married to Chad Cobb, Chad’s ex-gf is victim Ashley Biggs. Cobb & Biggs had a daughter and were reportedly involved in a contentious custody dispute. Cobb confessed to murdering Biggs when she arrived to deliver the pizza. pic.twitter.com/zJW6ooXfld
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) November 12, 2020
The male defendant pleaded guilty in 2013 to charges of aggravated murder and kidnapping. In exchange, the state declined to pursue the death penalty. Cobb, now 38, was instead sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
#StefankoTrial – Chad Cobb took a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. He is sentenced to LWOP and is expected to testify against his now ex-wife Erica Stefanko. Biggs & Cobb’s daughter is also expected to testify. She was only 6-yr-old at the time and is now 15. pic.twitter.com/4wLju6kwB2
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) November 12, 2020
But this case wasn’t over yet. Authorities said new evidence tied her to the case. They assert she was the female caller who lured Biggs to the murder scene.
#StefankoTrial – No, the state is not seeking the death penalty for Erica Stefanko. She faces LWOP. https://t.co/1DTW1w0qVJ
— Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) November 12, 2020
“She was a sweet girl,” Ashley’s mother Helen Biggs said of her daughter in a News 5 Cleveland report. “Loving mother.”
“She was a beautiful human being,” said cousin Jennifer Biggs.
[Mugshot of Stefanko via Summit County]
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