The Baltimore native and youth advocate was fatally shot in Walnut Hills, leaving relatives seeking answers and mourning her work with young people.
CINCINNATI, Ohio — Seven months after youth advocate Diamond Rice was fatally shot in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood, her family is facing a jury verdict that convicted her partner of felonious assault but stopped short of finding her guilty of murder.
Jasmine Blake was convicted Friday of two counts of felonious assault with a gun specification in connection with Rice’s death. The jury acquitted Blake of aggravated murder and murder, the most serious charges she faced. Blake is expected to return to court for sentencing in October, and her attorney has said the defense will appeal the convictions.
The verdict marked a new stage in a case that began late Feb. 1, when Cincinnati police were called to the 2300 block of May Street. Officers found Rice, 33, with a gunshot wound. Emergency crews attempted to save her, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police arrested Blake the next morning. Investigators said evidence at the scene, witness accounts and statements made during 911 calls led them to conclude that Blake shot Rice during an argument. Blake and Rice were in a relationship and lived together, according to information presented during Blake’s first court appearance.
The defense maintained that the shooting occurred during an altercation and raised a self-defense claim. Blake’s attorney said she had marks on her face and that her brother witnessed part of the confrontation through a FaceTime call. Prosecutors said investigators had not found evidence that Rice was armed in a way that would have required deadly force.
For Rice’s relatives, the criminal case followed months of mourning that stretched from Cincinnati to Baltimore. Rice was a Baltimore native who had built a career working with young people. Her family said she had worked in youth advocacy in Baltimore before moving to the Cincinnati area, where she continued helping children involved in the justice system.
Her parents and colleagues described Rice as someone able to connect with young people who could be difficult for others to reach. After her death, relatives gathered with members of the Baltimore community at a vigil, where they remembered both her personal struggles and her work helping others.
As Blake’s trial approached, Rice’s mother, Wanda Sommonds, said the loss remained painful and that no verdict could fully restore what her family had lost. After jurors returned their decision, Sommonds expressed disappointment that the verdict did not include a murder conviction. She said she plans to continue raising awareness in her daughter’s memory.
Blake’s attorney, Clyde Bennett II, also described the verdict as unfinished business. Although the jury rejected the murder charges, Bennett said he had sought a full acquittal and intends to appeal the felonious assault convictions. Hamilton County Prosecutor Connie Pillich declined to comment after the verdict.
The next court proceeding is expected to focus on Blake’s punishment for the felonious assault convictions. She faces five to 11 years in prison, according to her attorney, with sentencing scheduled for October. Rice’s family, meanwhile, continues to remember the 33-year-old for the work she did with young people in Baltimore and Cincinnati.
Author note: Last updated September 26, 2026.