Second murder suspect arrested after woman’s shooting death in Clermont County

BATAVIA TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) - A murder suspect has turned himself in following the Jan. 17 killing of a 39-year-old woman in a Clermont County subdivision.

Jaydon Maurice Pierce, 22, turned himself in Thursday at 8:35 p.m. in the presence of his attorney at the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office.

He and 30-year-old Ryan Vest face charges of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder.

Vest faces an additional count of evidence tampering.

The sheriff’s office put up a $10,000 reward for Pierce’s arrest earlier this week.

Pierce is currently at the Clermont County Jail without bail. He will appear for his arraignment in Clermont County Municipal Court on Friday.

Vest is also currently being held at the Clermont County Jail on a $4 million bail bond.

The victim, Casey Hamblin Moss was found dead inside a car with a gunshot wound to the head in the 3800 block of Magnolia Drive around 6:45 p.m. last Tuesday, according to the criminal complaint.

“The investigation has revealed that this was not a random act of violence. This incident stemmed from a drug transaction, a dispute over money, which led to a chase and inevitably the shooting incident,” Chief Deputy Chris Stratton said last week.

Per the complaint, a man who claimed to be Moss’s boyfriend said he was driving with her to buy drugs from someone named “Ace” at the Wendy’s near Bach Buxton Road.

After buying the drugs and leaving the Wendy’s, “Ace” demanded the pair bring back the drugs believing he had been shorted money, the complaint reads. He allegedly pursued them around the area in another car and then pulled up side-by-side on Back Grove Court and opened fire, hitting Moss in the head.

The sheriff’s office has video evidence from nearby residents of the shooting and the vehicle fleeing the scene.

The man who claimed to be Moss’ boyfriend identified “Ace” as Vest.

It was the second fatal shooting in Clermont County in a little over a week related to a dispute over money.

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