Staff photo / Ed Runyan Steve W. Green III, 27, appears in court for his sentencing hearing Thursday morning. Green was sentenced to life without parole for the killing of the mother of his child, Ashley Lockhart, 25.

YOUNGSTOWN — Steve W. Green III, 27, will spend the rest of his life in prison for killing Ashley Lockhart, 25, the mother of his child, on Oct. 8, 2021, in the parking lot of a Compass West apartment building in Austintown.

Mahoning County Prosecutor Gina DeGenova asked Judge Anthony D’Apolito of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court to give Green the most severe penalty available — life in prison without parole — for killing Lockhart by shooting her six times while blocking her car in a parking space.

The judge agreed with DeGenova, saying he cannot understand how a father could kill the mother of his child, leaving the child with no mother or father.

Green, of Youngstown, could have gotten life in prison with parole eligibility after 20, 25, or 30 years. Green’s attorney suggested that Green may have grounds for appeal of Green’s conviction and sentence.

Pick up Friday’s edition of The Vindicator for a full version of this story.