Killer sentenced to 25 years

In less than three hours, the jury reached a verdict.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN --Sentences handed down to those convicted of killing James Revere three years ago won't bring him back, but they at least provide some closure for his family, said Revere's aunt, Tamika Johnson.

She spoke to The Vindicator on Friday, minutes after a jury of eight men and four women found Keon Richardson, 22, of Park Vista Drive, guilty of aggravated murder with a firearm specification in the shooting of Revere, 16, on Nov. 23, 2003.

"We're glad it's all over," said Johnson. "This was a terrible thing that happened to our family."

The jury deliberated less than three hours after three days of testimony in the courtroom of Judge John M. Durkin of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court.

After the verdict, Judge Durkin, at Richardson's request, immediately pronounced sentence as mandated by statute, ordering him to serve life imprisonment with a parole possibility after 20 years on the murder change and five years on the firearm specification.

Durkin said Richardson must serve the five-year term first and consecutively to the murder term.

Atty. Thomas E. Zena, representing Richardson, said his client intends to appeal his conviction.

Ongoing feud

Police said it was an ongoing feud that led to Revere's death.

Richardson was the third person convicted in the slaying.

Glenn R. Scott, 22, and Stephan Breedlove, 20, were convicted on the same charges in June 2005 and got the same sentences.

Kiantre Woods, Revere's cousin, offered a victim witness statement before sentencing, telling the court that Nov. 23, 2003, is a day that she and her family will never forget.

It was her 17th birthday, she said, adding that it was also the last time she saw her cousin alive.

"He did not deserve what was done to him," she said, reading from a prepared statement.

"You didn't get away with anything," she said, directing the comment to Richardson, adding that she wants him to reflect on what he did.

"All you cared about was yourself and your image," Woods said.

Authorities said Richardson, Scott and Breedlove were in a car that followed a vehicle driven by Revere to the intersection of Hayman and Covington streets and opened fire on the vehicle.

Revere suffered multiple gunshot wounds, authorities said.

gwin@vindy.com