Mistrial declared in case of caregiver charged in harness asphyxiation death of 19-year-old with developmental disabilities

TOLEDO, Ohio — A mistrial was declared in the case against a caregiver charged in the asphyxiation death of Ethan Kleinhans, a 19-year-old man with developmental disabilities who was found tangled in his harness inside a transport van in west Toledo last year.

A hung jury on July 31 led to the mistrial, according to Lucas County Common Pleas Court records, after a verdict could not be reached. A new trial has been scheduled for Jeffrey King, who is charged with patient endangerment, for Oct. 7.

King was initially indicted in October 2024 on a charge of failing to provide for a functionally impaired person, but the charge was dismissed. In June 2025, King was indicted on one count of patient endangerment, a felony of the third degree…

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