(Editor’s note: This story originally published at the Akron Beacon Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.)
An Akron man accused of shooting a professional mixed martial arts fighter has pleaded guilty to aggravated murder in the case, among other charges.
Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh announced Friday that Christopher Blouir, 30, of Reed Avenue in Akron, pleaded guilty to shooting 30-year-old Isaiah Chapman to death.
Blouir, who had been in the Summit County Jail since his arrest in April 2020, is scheduled to be sentenced by Summit County Common Pleas Court Judge Alison McCarty on June 25.
Blouir had been charged with one count of aggravated murder and two counts of murder, all unclassified felonies, as well as felonious assault and carrying a concealed weapon. He pleaded guilty to all but one of the murder charges, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Chapman was found with gunshot wounds in the street near his home on April 7, 2020. He was taken to Summa Akron City Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
A former wrestler and football player at Kenmore High School, Chapman is survived by two daughters and a son. Family members say he was devoted to his children and would hug everyone when arriving and leaving family gatherings.
Shortly before his death, Chapman had signed a deal with Bellator MMA, one of the largest mixed martial arts promoters in the country. He was planning to go into the sport full time.