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Liberty killings prove puzzling
TweetBy ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WARREN — One of the five Youngstown residents charged in the aggravated murder of Liberty residents Wilneice L. Green, 28, and her 13-year-old daughter, Ja-Brajasia, told his girlfriend that Melvin L. Turner, 36, of Maryland shot and killed Green — but he didn’t know why.
Marquese J. Floyd, 25, of Atkinson Avenue, told his girlfriend he was part of a group of five that went to Green’s house on Northgate Drive in Liberty on Nov. 15, 2009, but “it wasn’t supposed to go down that way and that he didn’t know why [Turner] had killed Wilneice and Ja-Brajasia,” according to an affidavit submitted Thursday in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court.
James M. Christian, 20, another of the five, told police they went to the Green residence, just north of Northside Medical Center, to kill a male acquaintance of Wilneice Green. That acquaintance had been accused earlier Nov. 15 at the Liberty Police Department of having sexual contact with a child, the affidavit said.
Liberty Police Chief Richard Tisone has said Ja-Brajasia and her mother were “in the wrong place at the wrong time” and were not the intended targets of the crime.
Denise L. Jackson, 25, of Trumbull Court, another of the five, told family members Nov. 15 that the man accused of the sex offense had to “pay for what he did” to the child, who is related to her, police said.
Jackson appeared in common pleas court Thursday, where she was ordered held on $2 million bond. Floyd and Apollonia E. Baker, 25, of Miller Street, also appeared, and are also being held in the Trumbull County jail on $2 million bond.
Turner is being held by Baltimore police, awaiting his return here.
The affidavit says Jackson went to Floyd’s home Nov. 15 and told him the alleged sex offender had to “pay for what he had done.” Floyd is also related to the alleged victim of the sex offense, police said.
Later that day, Baker picked up Jackson, Turner, Floyd and Christian in Baker’s car. On the way to Northgate Drive, Jackson handed out gloves to Turner, Floyd and Christian and held a gun that she handed to Christian after he was done putting on his gloves, the affidavit said.
Floyd had a handgun and Turner, also known as “Dreads,” had an AK-47 type assault rifle.
All five got out of the car at Green’s home, hopped over a fence and went to the back door, with Turner eventually breaking it open with his shoulder.
Once inside, Floyd and Turner went to the back of the house, while the females waited outside, and Christian went to the kitchen.
Christian told police he heard Wilneice Green say, “Not my kids,” as Turner shot her in the chest.
As Ja-Brayasia ran toward the back of the house, Turner motioned for Christian to shoot her, but he didn’t, so Turner shot her in the abdomen, the affidavit said.
Both females died at the scene. Both spent cartridges recovered from the scene came from the same gun, the affidavit said.
The five fled and went to an address on Liberty Street in Youngstown, where Floyd hid the assault rifle and a handgun. They also went to a Youngstown apartment complex and removed their gloves and outer clothing, the affidavit says. The weapons were never located.
Turner was wanted in Maryland at the time of the murders for failing to appear in U.S. District Court in October 2009. He was back in custody in Maryland by the end of November and has remained in custody.
Jackson was granted judicial release from prison Sept. 28, 2009, by Judge James Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court after Jackson had served 21‚Ñ2 years of a 31‚Ñ2-year sentence for conspiracy to commit aggravated murder and aggravated robbery.
Floyd was on two years’ probation at the time of the murders on a 2008 conviction for improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.
In court Thursday, Judge John M. Stuard agreed to have Baker take a polygraph test, which her attorney, Lou DeFabio, said he believes will show her “non-involvement in the case.” Baker returns to court at 9 a.m. March 15.
Christian is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Wednesday to plead guilty to various charges. Jackson returns to court at 9 a.m. Thursday, and Floyd returns to court at 9 a.m. March 15.
Comments
"The wrong place at the wrong time." This was senseless. They were in their home. Aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, why was Jackson released...Judge Evans...
What can you say.It just goes on and on.No value of life and no morals.
These people should never again experience freedom. They don't value life and they have no morals.
Our justice system has little control over the mean streets of the Mahoning Valley . We simply warehouse, catalog and record . Prevention has not been very effective .
This is totally outrageous and senseless. When will it end?
I hope that they all burn for this one because her kids and family are hurting because of this
They said, "It wasn’t supposed to go down that way..." Well from what I can tell somebody was going to die that night, so either way they need to be locked up and/or executed. We don't need people running the streets with AK-47's deciding who's going to pay for what. Let the law and God decide!
This makes me sad reading this part
Christian told police he heard Wilneice Green say, “Not my kids,” as Turner shot her in the chest.
As Ja-Brayasia ran toward the back of the house, Turner motioned for Christian to shoot her, but he didn’t, so Turner shot her in the abdomen, the affidavit said.
If it wasn't meant for them to be killed why was they killed for? This is just crazy.
Statistically this fits the mold of crime In Youngstown,The only thing different is it was less then one eighth of a mile inside Liberty. So you see these crimes that predominate in Youngstown are slowely moving out to the suburbs. All you can really do is move further away. All you can do is get as far away from these people, these people that have NO MORALS and have no RESPECT FOR HUMAN LIFE. Who raises people like this.
This crime is definitely within the guidelines of those where the death penalty is given. Robbery, premeditation, child, etc etc etc. Lets hope this prosecutor seeks death penalty no be like Gains in the Mareissa Patterson, Cherish Moreland, and Crawford murders.
Tribune Chronicle reported that the guy they were after committed suicide Wednesday.
http://www.tribtoday.com/page/content...
He eluded the Nov. 15 attempt on his life, but two others - including a teenager - were shot to death instead with an assault rifle the killers had nicknamed ''old faithful.''
According to a police report, that man, Semmie Shorter of Youngstown, shot himself in the head Wednesday afternoon.
SEMMIE SHORTER WAS VERY ACTIVE IN THE SUBCULTURE !
http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions....
During the evening hours of September 21, 1997 and the early morning hours of September
22, 1997, appellant [Williams] gathered together a group of individuals amongst which were
Tracy Fears, Brian Thomas and Semmie Shorter. It is disputed as to whether Gerald
Hardaway was also a member of the group. The group was formed in order to exact revenge
upon Chris Chapman who was believed to have killed appellant’s cousin on September 16,
1997. In that Chapman was known to frequent his girlfriend’s residence, the group had
showered her house with bullets the prior evening. However, since neither Chapman nor his
girlfriend were injured or killed in that attack, the group devised a more thorough plan in
order to avenge the death of appellant’s cousin.
http://www.wfmj.com/Global/story.asp?...
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Youngstown police are questioning two men in connection with the weekend hold-up of a North side pizza shop.
The cashier at the Wick Avenue Belleria Restaurant tells police a man with a gun grabbed her and demanded money from the cash register late Sunday. When she couldn't open the register, she says he began shaking her.
Police caught up with a car fitting the description of the getaway car. The two men in that car, Stanley Croom and Semmie Shorter, are being held on previous warrants
“Not my kids”
Animals...they are nothing but simple cold blooded predators that have no regard for humans. All of these pieces of trash need to be put to death and I don't want to hear what good would that do. Enough of sticking up for this filth and pacifying them, they killed a innocent women and a 13 year old girl in pure cold blood. They don't deserve to be on the face of this earth. Disgusting waste of human flesh.
“Not my kids”
wright on lumpy
So Captain you promote the killing of children too?
Semmie Shorter brought death down upon Wilneice L. Green, 28, and her 13-year-old daughter, Ja-Brajasia . The world was Semmie's oyster until he shucked himself . The subculture has their own Judge, Jury and Executioners . Semmie couldn't take the pressure and committed suicide . The upcoming trial for the five executioners should give everyone an insight of the subculture .