Archive: Questions surround slaying of attorney

This article was originally published by The Enquirer Oct. 16, 2012.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS — Three days after Ryan Poston was found fatally shot inside his Meadow Lane home, more questions than answers surround the death of the promising young attorney.

Poston, 29, was found shot to death on the floor of his dining room around 9 p.m. Friday, according to a police report of the incident. His girlfriend, 21-year-old Shayna Hubers, called 911 at 8:54 p.m. to say she had shot him and he had stopped breathing, according to the report. No motive is yet known, and police and prosecutors refuse to discuss the case, citing the ongoing investigation.

Poston was "shot more than once in different areas of the body," according to Deputy Coroner Al Garnick, who responded to the scene of the crime and conducted the preliminary autopsy Saturday morning. Police have identified a handgun as the weapon involved.

Hubers is charged with murder and remains lodged at the Campbell County Detention Center on $2 million cash bond. She is set to be arraigned Thursday morning in Campbell District Court.

Poston's friends and colleagues described their relationship as "tumultuous" and "off-and-on." In a statement, the Poston and Carter (his mother and stepfather) families said he had been trying to end the relationship.

"Ryan's family is devastated by this loss," the family said in a statement. "Ryan was as bright as he was kind and as principled as he was caring. His passing is an unspeakable hardship to so many people. We ask that all of Ryan's family and friends as well as our community keep Ryan and those who loved him in their thoughts and prayers.

"We want to make it clear that Ryan was trying to end this relationship; he was trying to move on with his life. Tragically, his life was taken from him. Justice must now be served."

As word of the crime spread over the weekend, Poston's family, friends and colleagues struggled to reconcile the violent and sudden nature of his death with the kind, bright and promising young attorney they knew.

Helping those who 'might be steamrolled'

A 2008 graduate of Northern Kentucky University's Salmon P. Chase College of Law, Poston opened his own practice in May on the fifth floor of the 810 Sycamore Building in downtown Cincinnati. His practice focused upon personal injury cases, chiefly car accidents.

"He had a strong feeling of wanting to help people who wouldn't otherwise have access to the legal system and who might be steamrolled by the legal system without someone there to help them," said attorney Kenneth G. Hawley, who worked across the hall from Poston.

Poston had clerked for a law firm in the same building prior to passing the Ohio bar in 2011, and Hawley and his associate, Lori Zimmeman, had mentored him for several years.

Poston often worked late hours, they said, and it wasn't uncommon to receive an email from him in the middle of the night about a case or a marketing plan.

As a young attorney, Poston was aware of the importance of a good first impression: He always dressed in suits for work, never even loosening his tie or unbuttoning his collar. His cellphone rang constantly, and he never ignored clients' calls.

The night Poston died, Hawley and Zimmerman chatted with him before they left the office around 5:40 p.m. Nothing seemed amiss, they said, and Poston told them he had plans with friends later that night.

"He was going from zero to 100 probably faster and better than any other young lawyer could have or than could be imagined; he was that good at what he was going to be doing," Hawley said. "He was excited about his future, and his future was very bright."

The law and social justice were both in Poston's blood: He is the grandson of James R. Poston Sr., a graduate of Chase Law School, former senior counsel for PG&E, and vice president of the Committee of 500 that rid Newport of vice and corruption during the 1960s.

He is also the nephew of James R. Poston Jr., a Fort Mitchell attorney and Chase graduate.

The condominium in which Poston lived belongs to his mother and stepfather, Lisa and Peter Carter, according to property records. Peter Carter is a marketing executive for Procter & Gamble.

Ryan Poston spent his high school years abroad, studying in Manila and Geneva while his stepfather worked overseas. In 2005, Poston graduated from Indiana University with a triple major in political science, history and geography.

He and roommate, Matthew Herren, spent long, late nights talking political philosophy and later roomed together at Poston's Highland Heights condo during law school.

"He was one of those people who was good at everything," Herren said. "Law school wasn't hard for him; he just got it. It was something he really didn't have to work at; it came natural to him.

"I always said I wouldn't be surprised if Ryan ran for Congress at the age of 30 – he was that kind of guy," Herren said. "He was smart. People listened to him – when he talked about anything. He could speak intelligently on anything."

Less is known about Hubers, but publicly available records indicate she attended the prestigious Governor's School for the Arts for vocal music during the summer of 2008 and graduated from Lexington's Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in 2009.

In the fall of 2010, she made the Dean's List at the University of Kentucky, where she was listed as a sophomore pursuing a degree in psychology.

Reporter Jim Hannah contributed.