FAIRBORN — A man found guilty of felonious assault and other crimes will spend at more than two decades in jail.

Ezekia Kanyamihigo was sentenced to an indefinite prison term of 22-25.5 years Aug. 21 after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery, one count of felonious assault, and one count of having weapons while under disability. The sentence was handed down by Greene County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael A. Buckwalter.

According to authorities, on Aug. 20, 2023, Kanyamihigo approached a nurse as she was attempting to enter her Fairborn apartment around 4 a.m. after having worked her regular shift at a local emergency department. Kanyamihigo brandished a firearm and demanded that the nurse surrender her property. When the nurse refused to hand over her valuables, Kanyamihigo fired a single shot from his handgun that passed through the nurse’s clothing before ricocheting off the stairwell wall and ultimately lodging into the apartment’s exterior.

Kanyamihigo immediately fled to a nearby automobile and left the scene at a high rate of speed. The bullet did not strike the nurse and she escaped the encounter unharmed. Fairborn detectives soon discovered a similar robbery attempt had occurred earlier that evening in the city of Riverside. The investigation showed that Kanyamihigo committed both armed robberies on Aug. 20, 2023, in addition to a third armed robbery committed on Aug. 28, 2023 near Wright State University.

Law enforcement was able to utilize cellular geolocation data to identify Kanyamihigo as a suspect in all three robberies.

After being apprehended, Kanyamihigo ultimately confessed to the crimes during an interrogation. Following plea negotiations, Kanyamihigo pleaded guilty to the four criminal offenses and faced a potential of up to 33 years in prison.

“The Fairborn Police Department did an excellent job on this case, in particular Det. Ryan Whittaker,” said Greene County Prosecutor David D. Hayes. “The police had few leads and nearly no clues when this investigation began, but with perseverance they were able to identify a suspect and obtain a confession. Greene County is a safer place today because of their hard work. Chief Trial Counsel Bill Morrison and victim advocate Candice Purdin did an excellent job preparing the state’s case and obtaining a guilty plea.”