Woman sentenced in murder of Cleveland State professor

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AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — A Cleveland woman indicted in the murder of Cleveland State University professor Todd Morgan last year at his Hudson home has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison Thursday morning.

Terreionna Paschal, 32, of Cleveland, was set for trial Wednesday morning in Summit County on charges of aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and tampering with evidence, among others.

But before heading to court, she pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated murder with a firearm specification, according to a court spokesperson.

In court on Thursday, Paschal was sentenced to prison for 23 years to life.

Fox 8 News was in court for the emotionally charged sentencing. Family members of the victim gathered to plead for a maximum sentence.

Before the sentencing, family members of the victim addressed the court.

“I pity you for the emptiness of your existence. You have lived a life devoid of love, support and purpose and now you face a future devoid of any chance for redemption. What should have been some of the best days of your life will instead be spent in a repetition of regret,” the mother of Morgan’s daughter said. 

Paschal eventually addressed the victim’s loved ones saying, “To his family, I’m very sorry and I hope that one day you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. That’s it.”

No motive for Morgan’s murder has ever been publicly revealed.

Judge Alison Breaux noted that the guilty plea avoided a traumatic and difficult trial for the family of the victim.

Paschal will spend at least 23 years in prison before she is eligible for parole, but that is not guaranteed. 

On April 19, 2023, police officers visited Morgan’s West Streetsboro Street home after the 41-year-old father of two had failed to pick up his daughter from school, the FOX 8 I-Team reported. They found Morgan inside with gunshot wounds.

The Summit County Medical Examiner determined Morgan had been shot in the head and torso and ruled his death a homicide.

Investigators discovered several shell casings inside the home, as well as a bloody shoe print on the back deck of the home. Witnesses told police they heard several gunshots early that morning and saw a light-colored vehicle in the driveway and a person with long, dark hair leaving the home.

Police arrested Paschal five weeks later, on May 27, in Akron.

Morgan and Paschal “only knew each other for a limited time” before the shooting, according to a Wednesday news release from county Prosecutor Elliot Kolkovich. Hudson detectives looked at phone records, mobile apps and DNA and ballistics evidence to link Paschal to the crime, according to the release.

Morgan joined the CSU Department of Management faculty in 2021, according to the Monte Ahuja College of Business website.

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Justin Dennis

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