16-year-old suspect Damarion Tackett, charged in connection with the death of the beloved “Watermelon Man,” is on the run after missing a bond hearing on Friday.
John Materna, 76, was shot during a robbery last year while selling watermelons at the corner of Homer Street and Wayne Avenue in Highland Heights. He died two weeks later.
A warrant has been issued for 16-year-old Damarion Tackett after he failed to appear for a bond hearing on Friday. Tackett had been granted and posted a $100,000 bond in March of this year. He was indicted by a grand jury in April but did not show up for the recent bond hearing.
Materna had been selling watermelons for decades at the corner where he was shot. A memorial placed there honors his memory, but lifelong friend Randall Linn said it brings no peace or answers as to why Materna died and why the criminal justice system failed him.
A second suspect involved in the killing has not yet been apprehended.