Fireworks Murderer Convicted For 3 Deaths

A jury convicted a city firefighter Thursday of fatally shooting three people and wounding two others during a late-night Fourth of July celebration, rejecting defense claims that he was angered by the noise and snapped.

Terrance Hough Jr. was convicted of three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of attempted murder. The jury is to return Tuesday to hear evidence on whether to recommend the death penalty.

Hough, 36, killed Jacob Feichtner, who lived next door to him, and Feichtner's friends Katherine Rosby and Bruce Anderson.

Hough showed no emotion when the verdict came in. There was a brief gasp and cheer from the courtroom gallery, which included relatives of the victims.

"There was no remorse at all," said Bruce Anderson, whose son was named after him. "Our children had no mercy from him, no compassion, and he had nine months to put a case together. It's been hard waiting for this moment, and I'm very happy it turned out the way it did."

Hough was a 12-year firefighter in Cleveland at the time of the shootings, which the defense claimed happened in a fit of rage. His attorney had argued that the shootings weren't planned, as required for the aggravated murder convictions leading to a possible death sentence.

Prosecutors portrayed Hough as determined to kill when he emerged from his home, upset by fireworks set off by the neighbor on a neatly kept street popular with police and firefighters required to live in the city.

Assistant Prosecutor John Kosko told the jury the killings were deliberate.

"It wasn't an accident. It wasn't self defense. It wasn't insanity. It was cold-blooded, aggravated murder," he said.

An off-duty police officer who lived nearby heard gunshots and ran to the scene with his gun drawn. He found Hough sitting at his kitchen table with a handgun in a gun box. Hough told the officer that he just snapped, and he asked whether the victims were dead.

Hough's wife had called police several times between 2003 and 2005 complaining about loud noise, drugs, underage drinking and problems with neighbors, police reports show.