Jury convicts two men in robbery at Belleria Pizza

By Peter H. Milliken

milliken@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Two city men face long prison terms now that they’ve been convicted in the robbery of Belleria Pizza on Wick Avenue more than two years ago.

On Thursday, an eight-woman, four-man jury convicted Stanley Croom, 46, of Plazaview Court, and Jeff Shorter, 43, of Orange Avenue, of aggravated robbery with a firearm specification after four hours of deliberations at the close of a weeklong trial.

The jury also convicted Croom of attempted aggravated murder and retaliation against a pizza shop worker, who identified him as the armed robber, in connection with Croom’s attempt to hire someone to kill her.

Croom also is facing a charge of being a felon with a gun and a repeat violent offender specification, which were separately presented to Judge Lou A. D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court, who has not yet ruled on them.

The charge and specification presented to the judge stem from Croom’s aggravated robbery and murder conviction in the shooting death of Delores Forgac, head coach of girls’ basketball and track at South High School, in her driveway on Christmas Eve 1982, for which Croom served more than 22 years in prison.

Croom is facing six to 39 years in prison when Judge D’Apolito sentences him later.

Shorter, who drove the getaway car in the Dec. 27, 2009, Belleria robbery, is facing six to 13 years in prison.

After the jury rendered its verdict, Judge D’Apolito ordered Croom and Shorter jailed without bond pending their sentencing.

“The verdict absolutely is not substantiated by the evidence against Mr. Shorter,” said Shorter’s lawyer, Jeff Limbian.

However, Rebecca Doherty, chief of the criminal division in the county prosecutor’s office, said, “Based upon the evidence, they reached the right verdict.”