Matthew Desha

NORTH RIDGEVILLE, Ohio -- Friends believe a North Ridgeville man's post-traumatic stress disorder played a role in a fatal shooting left that a woman dead Saturday in Solon.

Matthew R. Desha, 29, is charged with murder in the death of Deborah Pearl. The shooting happened moments after Desha's Jeep crashed into the 53-year-old woman's car at an intersection. Desha emerged from the Jeep with a rifle and shot Pearl several times, police said.

The U.S. Marine Corps veteran -- who was twice deployed to Iraq -- has struggled with PTSD since being discharged in June 2008, according to friends, neighbors and documents from previous encounters with law enforcement.

"If you've never had PTSD, you can't know what it's like," said Commander Jim Hordinski of VFW Post 9871 in North Ridgeville. "It's like you're right back in the war."

Desha used to receive treatment for PTSD at the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, but it's unclear when and why he stopped seeking treatment, Hordinski said.

"There were times when he was depressed," Hordinski said. "He was up and down."

The North Ridgeville Police Department has noted in reports compiled over the past eight years that Desha suffered from PTSD. Desha also told Boardman Township officers who arrested him earlier this year that he took medication for anxiety and that he was once addicted to heroin.

Desha's neighbors at the Pine Ridge Mobile Home Park described him as a kind man who has at times dealt with mental-health issues.

"He was a sweet guy who kept to himself," neighbor Kathleen Salvatore said. "This breaks my heart, for him and for that woman."

Desha has struggled with depression since he moved into the mobile home park five years ago. He recently stopped taking his medication after becoming concerned about its ingredients, she said.

Salvatore also believes the crash triggered memories of Iraq.

"There's no doubt in my mind that when that car flipped, he was in war mode," she said.

Desha's family did not speak to reporters following his Monday court appearance and could not be reached for comment later in the day.

He is being held on $1 million bond and is scheduled to appear Wednesday in Bedford Municipal Court.

Law enforcement reports from the past eight years suggest Desha has struggled with mental-health issues since his discharge from the Marine Corps.

North Ridgeville officers investigating a noise complaint at Desha's home on May 5, 2011 were warned that he suffered from PTSD and slept with a loaded gun under his pillow, according to a police report.

Desha also faces a carrying concealed weapons charge stemming from a May 30 traffic stop in Boardman Township. He told a Boardman Township officer that he was taking medication for anxiety issues and that he was previously addicted to heroin, according to a police report from the incident.

Desha appeared Aug. 9 in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court and was released after posting 10 percent of a $2,000 bond. His next court date had not been scheduled.

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