Staff report
YOUNGSTOWN
A Mahoning County grand jury has indicted Michael Paige, 20, and his cousin, Jasmin Fletcher, 21, on charges related to the March 1 shooting death of 31-year-old Munir Blake.
Fletcher and Blake were neighbors in a duplex on Lora Avenue on the city’s North Side.
Paige, of Bennington Avenue, was indicted Thursday on an aggravated murder charge with a firearm specification and a tampering with evidence charge, which refers to the firearm.
If convicted of aggravated murder, he faces 23 years to life in prison.
Fletcher was indicted on a firearm-related evidence-tampering charge and an obstructing-justice charge alleging she lied for the purpose of hindering the homicide investigation.
Blake confronted Fletcher over her alleged theft of his electricity, police said. During the confrontation, Paige shot Blake, police said.
Originally, Fletcher was accused of the shooting, but Paige surrendered to police, who said he admitted firing the fatal shots.
The aggravated-murder charge alleges Paige killed Blake “purposely and with prior calculation and design.”
Blake’s death was Youngstown’s sixth homicide of 2012.
Comments
OK Judge Sweeney,do your thing and let them go!!
Here's a prime example of someone wanting something for nothing and shows to what length they'll go to get it!!!
It was my understanding Mr Blakes oldest child identifed the female in this case as the shooter. Why now have the charges against her been changed ? I would believe the Blake child as to who shot his father, before I would believe either of the two arrested. Personally I think they both should be charged with murder. Time to call an outside agency to come in and investigate this case , something fishy here. I think the state attorney general should be called. It was said the child was questioned immediatly after and he identified the woman. I think the guy is taking the rap and the police and prosecutor are letting him to avoid the cost of a long trial.
We should sit them down and give them some 'free' electricity as we show them the way out of this life....
I also believe the female was the shooter or perhaps they both shot? I think that the Blake childs accounts are the most accurate. It is not as if this was a situation with strangers where an identification needed to be made in a lineup. This was a neighbor known to the kids and the female was identified as the shooter. I smell a rat in the justice system here and I hope it gets flushed out.