21-year-old is convicted of killing Cleveland's mother

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A 21-year-old man will be sentenced Monday morning in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas.

In September, a jury found Dennis Coates guilty of fatally shooting a young mother as she held her baby.

Dennis Coates’ trial began on September 16 before Judge Maureen Clancy of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas and the jury returned a verdict on September 25.

Coates was found guilty of murder, assault and attempted murder.

Cleveland police said Coates killed 23-year-old Dimesha Wright around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 14, 2023, near East 185th Street and Harland Avenue.

Coates fired an AR-style rifle through the front door of the house.

Dennis Coates(Source: Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office)

Wright was holding her seven-month-old baby when she was shot. The child was not injured.

Coates will be sentenced at a later date.