Salem man pleads guilty in shooting death

LISBON -- Michael Blower of Salem admitted to killing Lisbon resident Rusty Steele with a gun last March when he entered a guilty plea Thursday to murder and a gun specification.

At 2 p.m. March 22 in Columbiana County Common Pleas Court, the 32-year-old will face his punishment: a recommended possible 18 years to life in prison.

By entering the plea, Blower avoids a jury trial that was scheduled to begin Tuesday for aggravated murder, murder and two gun specifications. As part of the plea agreement, the aggravated murder charge and one gun specification will be dismissed.

County Assistant Prosecutor Alec Beech, who was accompanied by Chief Assistant Prosecutor Ryan Weikart, outlined the sentencing recommendation, explaining that the gun specification requires a mandatory three-year sentence that will be consecutive to the murder sentence. The murder sentence is statutorily set at 15 years to life. That will bring the total sentence to 18 years to life.

DeFabio said he and Hanni had a chance to talk with Blower about his options and he planned to plead guilty to murder.

Judge Megan Bickerton reviewed all the paperwork with Blower, the possible sentence and the elements of the charges against him. After he entered the plea, she announced the date for the sentencing and continued his bond at $1.5 million.

Family members for both the accused and the victim were in the courtroom for the plea hearing.

Steele, 40, who resided on Harvey Avenue, Lisbon at the time of the shooting, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the chest on West Spruce Street the night of March 3, 2023. Blower turned himself in on March 4, 2023 and allegedly confessed to shooting Steele. An affidavit filed in the case against Blower said he and Steele had been arguing by phone all evening. Steele had children with Blower's wife. The night of the shooting, Steele was at his girlfriend's home on West Spruce Street.

After the shooting, Lisbon Police Chief Mike Abraham said officers "learned Mr. Steele was lured out of the house when someone knocked on the door and said their car broke down and wanted to know if he could give them a jump."

When Steele went outside and was seated in his vehicle, he was allegedly approached by Blower, who shot him. According to Weikart, the 9mm handgun used to commit the crime belonged to Blower's wife.

Also charged for the death was Christopher Mills, 43, Washington Street, Washingtonville, who's facing a status hearing at 10:30 a.m. Feb. 1, with a jury trial set for 8:30 a.m. Feb. 12.

He's charged with complicity to aggravated murder and murder in Steele's death. He's also charged with a third-degree felony of obstruction of justice. Mills is accused of aiding Blower in the murder and giving him a ride to and from the scene of the shooting.