The case of Chad Cobb has seen new developments over a decade after he initially pled guilty to the murder of Ashley Biggs. This article delves into Cobb's efforts to withdraw his guilty plea, the circumstances surrounding the crime, and the legal complexities of the case.
Ashley Biggs, left, and Chad Cobb. Source: cleveland.com
Background of the Case
In 2013, Chad Cobb pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including aggravated murder, in the 2012 death of Ashley Biggs. In exchange for a sentence of life without parole, Cobb pled guilty back in 2013 to aggravated murder in the 2012 death of Ashley Biggs.
Ashley Biggs, an Army veteran, was delivering pizzas for Domino’s on the night she died. On June 20, 2012, Cobb’s wife, Erica Stefanko, lured Biggs to an empty office parking lot by placing a bogus Dominos order. Biggs, 25, was ambushed upon her arrival.
Biggs had a daughter with Cobb, Stefanko’s husband at the time of the murder, and Biggs and Cobb were in a custody battle for the child. At the time of her death, the former couple was embroiled in a bitter custody dispute.
Read also: The Life of Chad Everett Harris
According to police, Biggs, who also worked as a delivery driver for Domino’s pizza in Green, was lured to a closed business in New Franklin on June 20, 2012. Cobb tased Biggs and then beat and strangled her. Stefanko followed Cobb as he dumped her body in an empty field in Chippewa Township in Wayne County. Stefanko then drove Cobb back home, where he washed off evidence of the crime.
Cobb's Attempt to Withdraw Guilty Plea
Chad Cobb appeared at an Oct. 2024 hearing at which he requested to withdraw his guilty plea in the death of Ashley Biggs. At last week’s hearing, however, Cobb testified that he was misled by his attorney. He said he only pleaded guilty in order to save his kids.
According to Cobb, his lawyer told him that if he didn’t plead guilty, his children would be put up for adoption and “lost” in the system. He said he feared the kids’ names would be changed and that they’d be cut off from him forever. Cobb said he was led to believe that a guilty plea would allow him to maintain contact with the kids. During the evidentiary hearing, Cobb’s family testified, corroborating his claims of coercion and pressure around his parental rights.
Legal Proceedings and Appeals
In December 2022, Cobb filed a pro se motion to withdraw his guilty plea. Cobb argued that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel due to counsel’s failure to investigate and/or a failure of counsel to communicate certain information to Cobb. In addition, Cobb maintained that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel as trial counsel encouraged Cobb to plead while Cobb was being threatened that he would lose parental rights to his children if he did not plead. Thus, Cobb also asserted that his plea was coerced.
The State opposed the motion, asserting that State ex rel. Special Prosecutors deprived the trial court of jurisdiction over Cobb’s motion, and, if it did not, Cobb’s arguments failed on the merits.
Read also: "Married to Evil": Chad Graves
The trial court denied Cobb’s motion, concluding that it lacked jurisdiction based upon the holding of State ex rel. Special Prosecutors and this Court’s precedent interpreting that case and its progeny.
Cobb appealed, raising three assignments of error. This Court reverses and remands the matter for proceedings consistent with this decision.
In July 2025, Judge Jennifer Towell denied the motion, saying Cobb understood the “nature and consequences of his plea, and was not under the influence of any mind-altering substances, and was not induced to plead guilty by threats or promises.”
The Conviction of Erica Stefanko
Court TV’s Trial Archives: OH v. Erica Stefanko was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the death of Ashley Biggs. In a retrial covered by Court TV earlier this year, Stefanko, now 41, was found guilty of Biggs’ murder and sentenced to life in prison. She must serve a minimum of 30 years before she’s considered for parole.
In November 2020, a different jury found Stefanko guilty of the same charges that she was convicted of on Wednesday. The case was appealed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and in July 2022, the court overturned the conviction because of the remote testimony of Cobb. During the 2020 trial, protocols in place for the COVID-19 pandemic allowed Cobb to testify from prison instead of traveling to court. The appeals court’s decision sent the case back to Summit County for retrial.
Read also: Vallow-Daybell Trial: Key Evidence
In January 2024, in her second trial, a jury found Stefanko guilty and she was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 39 years behind bars.
Legal Analysis of Cobb's Appeal
Cobb asserts in his first assignment of error that the trial court erred in concluding that it lacked jurisdiction to consider Cobb’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea based upon the holding in State ex rel. Special Prosecutors. Under the facts of this case, and in light of recent Supreme Court precedent, we agree.
The Supreme Court reaffirmed the notion that, “[g]enerally, a trial court loses jurisdiction to modify its judgment once that judgment has been affirmed on appeal.” However, the Supreme Court also stated that “[r]elief from final judgments in criminal cases is confined to the procedures authorized by statute or rule.”
We determine that, under the facts of this case, the trial court did not lack jurisdiction to consider Cobb’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea. In so concluding, we are mindful that the issues raised in Cobb’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea were not decided in his direct appeal. Accordingly, the trial court erred in concluding that State ex rel. Special Prosecutors deprived it of jurisdiction to consider Cobb’s motion in light of the subsequent case law from the Ohio Supreme Court discussed above.
L&C Report: Fmr Attorney for Chad Cobb Joins Jesse Weber to Discuss the Erica Stefanko Case
Cobb’s first assignment of error is sustained, and the matter is remanded to the trial court to consider Cobb’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.
Conclusion
The legal saga surrounding the murder of Ashley Biggs continues, with Chad Cobb's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea adding another layer of complexity to the case. The courts will now have to decide whether Cobb's claims of coercion and ineffective assistance of counsel warrant a re-evaluation of his initial guilty plea.
Popular articles:
tags: #Chad
