Man sentenced to life in prison

Found guilty for shooting death of Willoughby man

A Cleveland man was sentenced to life in prison with first eligibility of parole after serving 27 to 28 ½ years after being found guilty of the 2019 shooting death of a Willoughby man.

Treal White, 22, was found guilty in a bench trial before Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Kelly Ann Gallagher on two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of discharge of a firearm on or near prohibited premises.

The charges stem from a Sept 21, 2019, incident that led to the death of 25-yearold Tauvarsion T. Waller of Willoughby and the hospitalization of a 27-year-old man. According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, White, both victims and others were engaged in conversation on Alhambra Road near Kipling Avenue in Cleveland in the city’s Collinwood neighborhood. Following a dispute, White retrieved a semi-automatic rifle from a nearby vehicle and fired multiple shots before he and others fled the scene, according to the Prosecutor’s Office. Cleveland police, emergency medical services and the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene. Waller suffered five gunshot wounds to his head, chest, arms and foot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The 27-year-old victim suffered two gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries. A Cleveland police homicide unit investigation connected White to the crime through DNA evidence, forensic ballistics and eyewitness accounts, according to the Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation found that White disposed of the murder weapon in a nearby garage after he fled the scene. DNA evidence collected from the received gun and magazine was tested in the medical examiner’s forensic lab and matched to White. Investigators also recovered bullet casings at the scene that matched the murder weapon. White was arrested on Nov. 25, 2019, according to court records. On March 22, 2021, White waived his right to have his case heard by a Cuyahoga County jury and proceeded with a bench trial in front of Gallagher. The judge handed down her verdict on March 29. White was found not guilty of an aggravated murder charge.