State v. Sheppard, 2025 Ohio 161

Defendant Tramel Antwan Sheppard was convicted of menacing by stalking and criminal trespass after a series of unwanted interactions with T.R., a coworker and church member.
T.R. considered Sheppard a work friend, but his behavior escalated after she declined his advances, making her uncomfortable at work and at church.
Sheppard continued unwanted contact at church after being fired from their workplace, including public marriage proposals, inappropriate behavior, and posting about T.R. on Facebook.
Church leaders, specifically Pastor Brown, repeatedly told Sheppard to stay away from the church, ultimately involving law enforcement.
T.R. suffered significant mental distress, avoided church to feel safe, and took steps for personal protection.
Sheppard was found guilty by a jury; he appealed, challenging the sufficiency and weight of the evidence.

Issue	Plaintiff's Argument	Defendant's Argument	Held
Sufficiency of evidence (stalking)	Pattern of conduct caused distress	No threats; contact not direct; conduct not knowing	Sufficient evidence for conviction
Sufficiency of evidence (trespass)	Privilege revoked by agent's notice	Church is public; no clear communication	Privilege revoked, evidence sufficient
Manifest weight of the evidence	Witnesses credible; consistent record	Testimony inconsistent/contradictory	Jury's verdict not against manifest weight
Credibility of witnesses	Testimony supported by other evidence	Pastor and T.R.'s accounts unreliable	No basis to disturb jury's findings

State v. Jenks, 61 Ohio St.3d 259 (Appellate review standard for sufficiency of evidence)
State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380 (Standard for reviewing manifest weight of the evidence)
Lloyd Corp. v. Tanner, 407 U.S. 551 (Private property status even if open to public)
State v. Robinson, 162 Ohio St. 486 (Sufficiency of evidence is a question of law)
State v. Martin, 20 Ohio App.3d 172 (Manifest weight of the evidence standard)