Login | May 27, 2025
Man who beat, then set woman on fire and leave her for dead loses appeal
JESSICA SHAMBAUGH
Special to the Legal News
Published: October 9, 2014
A man who brutally beat, burned and killed a Canton woman recently lost his appeal when the 5th District Court of Appeals affirmed his convictions for aggravated murder, kidnapping and aggravated arson.
The three-judge panel affirmed the rulings from the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas, finding Lafonse Dixon guilty of kidnapping a Canton woman, beating her, setting her on fire and leaving her for dead.
The case came to light around 8 a.m. on Aug. 26, 2012, when Mark Bretz saw what he though was a deer in the middle of State Route 208.
As he slowed his truck, Bretz said the figure rose and he realized it was not a deer, but was a person who was “scorched,” beaten and naked.
Bretz told police that the figure threw herself at his truck, screaming “help me; they’re trying to kill me.”
He immediately phoned 911 and got out of his truck to help the woman.
He was able to carry her to the side of the road, give her Gatorade and hold her hand.
While they waited for help, Bretz removed a tow strap from around the woman’s neck and started talking to her.
She told him that her name was Celeste and she was from Canton. Police later identified her as Celeste Fronsman.
When Bretz asked who had hurt her, Fronsman named “Katrina Culberson,” “Fonse Dixon” and “Washington.”
Bretz wrote Culberson’s name down and later gave it to police.
Fronsman was then taken to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center to be treated for severe burns.
The treating doctor later testified that she had third and fourth-degree burns on 70 percent of her body and was among the worst cases he had ever seen.
He said he knew immediately that she would not survive, but he was able to resuscitate her until family members arrived. She later died from her injuries.
Upon investigation, police determined that Culberson was a known prostitute and drug addict in Canton.
She was known to control other area prostitutes through violence and intimidation and was in a relationship with Fronsman.
The relationship was known to be violent and police found that Culberson had beaten Fronsman and threatened her in the past. Culberson was also dating Dixon, who was known as “Fonse.”
At one point, police raided one of the houses where the women often smoked crack and “turned tricks” and Dixon and Culberson became suspicious that Fronsman “had snitched to police.”
Culberson later testified that “Celeste was telling on a couple people.”
After the raid, Culberson and Dixon reportedly started plotting how to beat and kill Fronsman.
Shortly after the raid, Culberson took Fronsman to the home of “Old Hooker Alice” where she screamed at her and accused her of “snitching.”
Fronsman denied the allegations and they went next door to Ralph Horne’s home, where they met Dixon.
Fronsman was able to flee to a neighbor’s home and told the man she needed help.
She then got in a car with the neighbor and tried to leave the area.
Unfortunately, Culberson and Dixon followed them, eventually cutting the neighbor’s car off and bumping it before he drove to a local police station.
The officer at the station scolded Fronsman for involving the neighbor in “her drama” and told the neighbor to move along.
The neighbor later described the group as two white women and a black man and identified Culberson and Dixon as the pursuers.
Later in the week, Culberson and Dixon searched Fronsman’s home for her but were unable to locate her. They eventually split up to continue the search.
Culberson had Monica Washington, another prostitute, drive her around in Horne’s SUV to look for Fronsman.
They found her in a Walmart parking lot and Culberson told her she wasn’t going to hurt her, but only wanted to talk about a possible $900 “date” they could do together.
Fronsman agreed to accompany Culberson and got into the back of the SUV. At that point, the child locks were activated so Fronsman could not escape and the women picked up Dixon.
Culberson later testified that she drove around as Dixon and Washington beat Fronsman in the back seat.
They first took her to another prostitute’s home to ask for directions to West Virginia. When the woman saw Fronsman in the back seat she told the group to “get the hell out.”
She also later identified the individuals in the car.
While Culberson drove toward Zanesville, the other two bound Fronsman’s hands with a black belt and masking tape.
They eventually reached a place only identified as “the circle place” where they continued beating and strangling Fronsman.
However, the group decided the location was not secluded enough so they drove to another spot.
They then choked Fronsman with a tow strap, beat her, doused her in gasoline and set her on fire.
Leaving Fronsman, the group returned to Canton and Culberson returned Horne’s SUV. She also ordered him to clean the vehicle and told him she “beat (Fronsman’s) ass.”
Police eventually arrested all three people involved and Culberson and Washington both agreed to testify against Dixon as part of their plea deals.
Culberson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and Washington was ordered to serve life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years.
Dixon was charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping and aggravated arson.
“(The state’s) copious evidence at appellant’s trial included the testimony of accomplices Culberson and Washington, plus that of many witnesses they came into contact with throughout their campaign to terrorize, beat and eventually kill Celeste Fronsman,” Judge Patricia Delaney wrote for the appellate court.
During the jury selection process, Juror 64 admitted that he knew a little about the case, was related to a judge who presided over one of the accomplices proceedings and that he might have trouble adhering to the presumption of innocence.
However, further questioning showed he did not often talk to the other judge and would not be biased because of that.
He also said he ultimately would not hold Dixon’s decision not to testify against him.
That juror was later dismissed for falling asleep at trial.
The jury found Dixon guilty of all charges and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On appeal, Dixon argued that Juror 64 was improperly impaneled because his relationship with another judge would render him biased.
The appellate panel, however, ruled that the juror was later dismissed for unrelated cause and there was no evidence he had tainted the jury.
“Under these circumstances, we are unable to say the trial court’s decision not to disqualify Juror 64 was unreasonable, arbitrary or unconscionable,” Judge Delaney stated, overruling Dixon’s assignment of error.
Dixon next asserted that the trial court should not have permitted the jury to view the autopsy photos because they were gruesome and unduly prejudicial.
The district judges found the trial court did prohibit several photos that were too similar but permitted photos of Fronsman when Bretz found her, in the hospital, and post-mortem.
They agreed that the photos were “unquestionably grisly” but held that they held probative value that outweighed the prejudicial impact.
“The autopsy photos, we regret to note, best illustrate the extent and severity of the victim’s injuries. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the limited number of photos,” Judge Delaney continued.
The judges went on to overrule several more assignments of error, including ineffective assistance of counsel claims, an argument that the trial court did not record the names of the jurors and a complaint that he was not afforded the proper number of peremptory challenges as to alternate jurors.
The judges found the arguments were moot or without merit and affirmed the lower court’s ruling.
Presiding Judge William Hoffman and Judge Craig Baldwin joined Judge Delaney to form the majority.
The case is cited State v. Dixon, 2014-Ohio-4235.
Copyright © 2014 The Daily Reporter - All Rights Reserved