Trotwood man convicted of murder of rival in DMAX shooting gets life sentence

A Trotwood man found guilty of murder in the shooting death last year of his co-worker and rival at the DMAX plant in Moraine will spend up to the rest of his life in prison.

Frederick Andra Cox, 31, was sentenced Wednesday by Montgomery County Common Pleas Judge E. Gerald Parker Jr. to 29 to 33 years to life in prison, the maximum possible consecutive sentences, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office.

It took a jury less than four hours Nov. 15 to convict Cox of three counts of murder and four counts of felonious assault, Monique Harris, Parker’s bailiff, said previously.

Cox was accused of fatally shooting 28-year-old Jeffrey James Allen III of Dayton and shooting and wounding another worker on May 18, 2023, at the DMAX plant at 3100 Dryden Road. Allen was pronounced dead at the scene and the other man suffered a gunshot to the foot.

Frederick Cox

Credit: Montgomery County Jail

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Credit: Montgomery County Jail

The Moraine Police Division was inundated just before 9 p.m. by 911 calls about an active workplace shooter at the General Motors subsidiary that manufactures Duramax turbo-diesel engines for heavy-duty GMC Sierra and heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks in addition to work trucks for military, marine and medium-duty use, according to the company’s website.

As one of the first officers crested a nearby hill in his cruiser, “he could see an entire factory full of employees pouring out the doors into a loading dock area, running, frantic, panicked. An almost surreal chaotic scene from some Hollywood movie,” Moraine police Chief Craig Richardson said last October when awarding four Moraine officers with the division’s Medal of Valor, its highest honor, for their actions. It was the first time the department awarded the medal.

“They knew they could not afford to wait on a SWAT team or tactical equipment,” Richardson said. “They ran in with the equipment on their belts, not knowing how many shooters (there were), or where the shooter was or what horrors they would see inside. They moved together as a team, one cohesive unit, working their way through the maze of manufacturing equipment and continued their drive towards the suspect.”

Moraine Police Chief Craig Richardson presented the Moraine Police Division's Medal of Valor to (left to right) Sgt. Ken Lloyd and officers Paul Land, Tyler Dennis and Karen Arriaga-Perez on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, "for their deliberate acts of heroism" while responding to a shooting at DMAX, 3100 Dryden Road, the night of May 18, 2023. CONTRIBUTED

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The two shooting victims were found inside, and Cox was found outside after he left the building through the same doors as fleeing workers, which led to a fenced-in security area. Hundreds of people were trapped with Cox as officers converged, the chief said.

“What was already a horrible incident could have very quickly become incredibly more devastating,” Richardson said.

Cox shot himself in the head in an unsuccessful attempt to take his life. He was critically injured and taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he eventually recovered.

Investigators determined Cox and Allen had been feuding over a woman.

“We’ve been able to confirm that both the suspect and Mr. Allen were apparently involved in a domestic related feud over a female who was also an employee of the facility,” Moraine police Sgt. Andrew Parish said previously. “During the altercation between the two males … the suspect produced a semiautomatic handgun and shot and killed Mr. Allen.”

The DMAX plant on Dryden Road in Moraine was closed Friday, May 19, 2023, following a shooting the night before that killed a Dayton man and wounded another man. The suspected shooter was critically injured from a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, police said. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

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Credit: Jim Noelker

A large police force responded to the DMAX plant in Moraine Thursday evening after a reported shooting. | Jeremy Kelley/Staff

Credit: Jeremy P. Kelley

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Credit: Jeremy P. Kelley

Cox reportedly fired at least dozen rounds targeting Allen.

The second shooting victim was not involved in the dispute. His girlfriend told the Dayton Daily News that her boyfriend was near where the shooting happened. “He thought it was over. He thought he was about to lose his life,” she said.

DMAX suspended production for several days following the workplace shooting.

A large police force responded to the DMAX plant in Moraine Thursday night, May 18, 2023, after a report of an active shooter. Police found one worker shot dead inside and another injured by gunfire. The shooting suspect was found critically injured outside with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head, police said. JEREMY P. KELLEY/STAFF

Credit: Jeremy P. Kelley

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Credit: Jeremy P. Kelley

Staff writers Eric Schwartzberg and Kristen Spicker contributed to this report.

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