Background: News footage of the scene in Cleveland, Ohio, where Norman Duncan was killed on April 14, 2025 (WJW). Insets (left and center): Marvin Atkins and Ann Marie Clayton in court on May 20 (WJW). Inset (right): Norman Duncan (The Cleveland, Ohio Remembrance Page/Facebook).
The killers of an Ohio man who was trying to defend his 12-year-old son learned their fate in court.
Marvin Atkins and Ann Marie Clayton, both 36, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 37-year-old Norman Duncan. As Law&Crime previously reported, a fight between two 12-year-old boys broke out in a neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 14, 2025; one of those boys was Duncan's son, the other was the son of Atkins and Clayton.
At some point during the fight, Atkins and Clayton held Duncan's son against his will. When Duncan tried to protect his son, Atkins and Clayton attacked him.
Clayton hit Duncan in the head with a brick, police said, but Duncan and his son were able to escape and started walking away. While the father and son left the scene, Atkins and Clayton got into their Chevy Impala and intentionally ran over Duncan after jumping the curb.
As Atkins and Clayton drove away, Duncan's son called 911. The father was brought to a hospital, where he died.
Atkins and Clayton were on the run for nine days before they were found at a home in another part of Cleveland and arrested. They were each charged with aggravated murder, two counts of murder, attempted murder, and three counts of felonious assault.
On May 14, Atkins and Clayton both pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. During their sentencing hearing on Wednesday, Atkins was sentenced to 15 to 20 1/2 years in prison; Clayton was sentenced to three years in prison. Both defendants apologized for their actions in court.
Local Fox affiliate WJW was in the courtroom when Clayton told Duncan's family, "If I could rewind the hands of time, I would've made sure this never happened." Atkins said, "I'm not, like, a monster. I didn't mean to hit him."
A member of Duncan's family told WJW that she accepted Clayton's apology, saying, "I feel that it is sincere."