Parents seek judgment in murder case
The lawyer representing the parents of 10-year-old Ta’Niyah Thomas asked Washington County court to enter a judgment against the men convicted in the girl’s death after they failed to respond from state prison to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in March.
Jesse White, who represents Curtis Thomas and Shantye Brown, asked for a default judgment of $1,000,500 against Anthian Goehring, 30, Douglas Cochran Jr., 20, Malik Thomas, 22, and Richard White (no relation to Jesse), 20, in papers filed Monday.
The attorney said Curtis Thomas approached him following the outcome of the criminal cases.
In their lawsuit, filed March 29, Brown and Thomas sought damages in excess of $500,000 for each of two claims in the lawsuit.
White said the civil case wasn’t about recovering damages from the defendants, who are all in state prison.
He noted in papers requesting the judgment none of the defendants responded to the lawsuit within the 20 days specified after they were served with copies of the suit.
“(Ta’Niyah’s parents) want to make sure these individuals were held accountable in every way possible for as long as they live,” White said.
Ta’Niyah was shot twice March 31, 2014, during a break-in attempt at her mother’s second-floor apartment on West Chestnut Street.
Goehring and Cochran, who police alleged fired multiple shots into the apartment door, pleaded guilty last year to third-degree murder and other charges. Cochran was sentenced to 22 to 50 years in prison. Goehring was sentenced to 30 to 60 years.
Malik Thomas, a distant relative of the victim, and Richard White stayed in the car.
They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit homicide and other charges.
Richard White was sentenced to three to six years; Thomas, four to eight.
Jesse White said some defendants didn’t receive sentences of the severity Ta’Niyah’s family would have liked to have seen.
“This was about emotion and just trying to find any means of closure to help them deal with this loss,” he said.