Copley police say Marcus Dangelo Price faces murder, rape and kidnapping charges. Shawnna Elizabeth Pasquale was found dead in a hotel room on New Year’s Day.

COPLEY, Ohio — Copley police have announced the arrest and formal charge of the man accused of killing a 24-year-old Erie, Pennsylvania, woman at a hotel on New Year’s Day. 

Marcus Dangelo Price, 29, of Akron, has been charged with murder, felonious assault, rape and kidnapping. A judge in Barberton Municipal Court set his bond at $2 million during a court appearance on Friday.


CASE DETAILS

According to Copley police, the body of a 24-year-old woman — identified as Shawnna Elizabeth Pasquale — was found inside a room at the Copley Inn & Suites on Rothrock Road in Copley Township on New Year’s Day.

The Copley Police Department said officers responded to the scene on Jan. 1 amid a report “of an apparent deceased female.”

Detectives, along with the Summit County Medical Examiner’s Office, determined the victim died as a result of a physical assault, according to a press release from the Copley Police Department.

“Her manner of death has been ruled a homicide,” according to Copley police.

Investigators determined that Price and Pasquale were in a relationship and had been staying in the same hotel room at the time of her murder. 

The victim’s sister told 3News that Shawnna Pasquale had been living at the hotel for a month, hoping for a fresh start in Ohio. She was the mother of a four-year-old daughter.

Price was identified as the suspect by Copley police detectives.


KIDNAPPING CASE AND ARREST

“In the days following the murder, a 24-year-old female was reported missing by her family in Akron. Detectives determined this missing woman was being held involuntarily by Price and was considered to be dangerous,” Copley police stated.

On Jan. 9, Copley police detectives located Price and the missing woman in Akron’s Kenmore neighborhood.

Working alongside Akron police and the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, Copley detectives arrested Price and the missing woman was rescued.

“The missing woman was brutally beaten and sexually assaulted by Price over a period of ten (10) days, and was immediately transported to the hospital,” officials added. “She suffered multiple broken bones, internal injuries, and had cuts and bruises all over her body.”

The Copley Police Department asks anyone with information on the case to call Detective Jerry Perona at 330-670-2708 or Lt. Mike Yovanno at 330-670-2723. Callers can remain anonymous.

3News’ Natalie Clydesdale contributed to this report.