Death sentence vacated for Toledo man convicted in 2008 BP clerk killing; resentenced to life without parole

A Lucas County judge has vacated the death sentence of Anthony Belton, the Toledo man convicted of murdering BP gas station clerk Matthew Dugan during a 2008 robbery, and resentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

2008 BP clerk killing

Dugan, 34, was working the early-morning shift at a BP station on Dorr Street and Secor Road when Belton repeatedly entered the store before pulling a gun, robbing the clerk of cash and prepaid phone cards, and then shooting him in the back of the head at close range despite Dugan’s cooperation.
Security cameras captured the attack, and Belton was arrested soon after; he ultimately entered a no-contest plea to aggravated murder and aggravated robbery with firearm specifications, and a three-judge panel sentenced him to death.

Death sentence overturned

Belton’s death sentence had been upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court in 2016, which rejected numerous challenges to his conviction and the state’s capital punishment scheme.
However, a more recent review found him legally ineligible for execution because of serious mental impairments, leading the trial court to vacate the death penalty and impose a new sentence of life without parole instead.​

What the new sentence means

The resentencing removes Belton from Ohio’s death row but ensures he will remain incarcerated for the rest of his life, with no chance at parole or early release.
For Dugan’s family and the Toledo community, the case remains a stark example of the lingering impact of violent crime, even as evolving standards for who can be executed reshape outcomes in long‑running capital cases.