Dayton man who helped kill another, then wrapped body in plastic sentenced to over 10 years

DAYTON — A Dayton man was sentenced to over a decade in prison for the death of another whose body was discovered wrapped in plastic and stuffed in a sleeping bag near a Clay Township garden center.

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Donovan James McDermott, 52, was initially accused of murder and felonious assault, among other charges. However, the other two charges were later dropped after the defendant entered into a guilty plea agreement the day he was scheduled to go to trial.

McDermott was one of two men charged after a Browns Nursery worker found a body wrapped in plastic inside a sleeping bag near Arlington Road on October 8, 2018.

Steven Johnson, 47, was later identified as the dead victim. An investigation found that Johnson died due to blunt force trauma by a metal pipe, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office said. He was thought to have been attacked at a vacant house on Eichelberger Avenue.

In addition to McDermott, David Savage was charged for Johnson’s death. Savage also pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence back in October 2021.

He was sentenced to 13 years in prison on January 2022.

McDermott will now also face 11 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and gross abuse of a corpse. The sentence for each crime was to be served concurrently.

He was also ordered to pay $819 in funeral costs.

McDermott will also remain on parole for two to five years upon his release from prison.

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