(Photo courtesy: Medina County Sheriff’s Dept.)
One of the seven suspects arrested in connection to the murder and disappearance of Iron Jailen Cannon, of Akron, pleaded not guilty.
Autumn Knight, 27, of Cuyahoga Falls, was arraigned via video from the Medina County Jail on May 11 before Medina County Common Pleas Court Judge Christopher Collier. Knight entered the not guilty plea on four charges, including tampering with evidence, gross abuse of a corpse, obstructing justice and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity.
Her pretrial has been tentatively set for July 15 at 9 a.m. Knight’s trial is tentatively set for July 19 at 1 p.m. Knight’s bond remains at $1 million.
Arraignments/court dates for the other six suspects (Justin Hornbeck, Samantha McCune, Tyrone Render, Marcus Clark, Antonio Moore and Christopher Williams) are not known at this time. All seven suspects have been ordered not to have contact with each other. Judge Collier is presiding over each case.
Cannon, of Akron, was last seen in Wadsworth on October 18, 2020, where authorities say he was shot and killed. An investigation revealed an “intricate cover-up, consisting of significant efforts to mislead law enforcement.”
In a phone interview with Wadsworth Community Radio last week, we asked Wadsworth Police Chief Dan Chafin if he believes they have arrested all of the suspects involved in the case.
“I would not close the door to any additional indictments,” Chafin responded.
At the time of the incident, Tyrone Render, 27, was living in Wadsworth which is where the crime began, according to police. Render was independently friends with Cannon and Hornbeck, 28, of Uniontown, the alleged killer. Render and Hornbeck have both previously been jailed for other crimes, including criminal gang activity.
“The Wadsworth Police Department is committed to bringing closure to Iron’s family, and will continue to search for Iron’s remains,” said Chafin in a previous news release.
A reward of $2,500 is still available for information that leads to the location and recovery of Cannon’s remains. Tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at (216) 252-7563 or www.25crime.com to be directed to the Crime Stoppers online tip submission form.
PREVIOUS IRON CANNON CASE COVERAGE:
Booking photos released, bond set for 7 arrested in Iron Jailen Cannon murder, disappearance case
7 arrested in connection to Iron Jailen Cannon murder, disappearance
Wadsworth police continue following leads in Iron Jailen Cannon murder case
