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Darll A. Mack Jr. guilty in rape of three minors

WARREN — “You’re all going to hell” were the parting words from a Youngstown man on Tuesday after a Trumbull County Common Pleas jury found him guilty on all counts of sexually abusing three girls under the age of 13.

Darll A. Mack Jr., 25, repeated the phrase once more while being ushered out in handcuffs by bailiffs, calling the charges against him “lies.”

The jury deliberated for about two hours before finding Mack guilty to conclude a two-day child rape trial involving three minor victims who were babysat by Mack during the duration of the abuse, which occurred during the spring of 2021.

Mack, of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, was found guilty on three counts of rape that each carry potential life-in-prison sentences, plus three more counts of gross sexual imposition.

Six witnesses were brought to the stand over the course of the trial, which included testimony on Monday from the child victims who now are ages 6, 8 and 10, who followed each other to the witness stand under direct questioning from Trumbull County Assistant Prosecutor Diane Barber and cross examination from defense attorney Kristin Maxwell.

That day, the mother of the children also testified, telling the jurors that Mack often babysat them while she was at work. The 6-year-old said the defendant would play “home” with her. She also described an inappropriate touch underneath her underwear. The girl said the molestation took place on a living room couch in a Fifth Street Hampshire House apartment.

Also testifying was the girls’ mother, who said she offered Mack a place to stay after he had gotten out of prison in early 2021. The mother said Mack only stayed with them for a few weeks before she paid for him to live across the hall with a neighbor. “He still came around, especially when the girls were there,” the mother said.

TUESDAY TESTIMONY

Tuesday’s witnesses included expert testimony from Akron Children Hospital’s Child Advocacy Center nurse practitioner Monique Malmer, who testified about interviews she witnessed behind a two-way mirror that were conducted by Trumbull County Children Services caseworker Kelly Watson, who interviewed the three victims at the hospital in Boardman.

The interview came about after one the girls made a report of being touched by Mack underneath her clothes, which she disclosed to her mother. At least two of the victims detailed acts performed on them that involved Mack digitally penetrating them.

Her testimony also noted that threats were made to the child victims. Malmer quoted one of the girls telling the interviewer that Mack said to her, “snitches get stitches,” as a means to intimidate the victim into silence.

Following the interview, Malmer said she recommended all three children receive trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy. The last witness the state called to the stand before resting was Warren police officer John Massaro, who told jurors about taking the report from the mother of the three victims. Massaro testified for just seven minutes, telling jurors he felt taking the mother’s report in public was not the best way to conduct the matter so instead put the mother in contact with a detective who investigates sexual assaults.

CLOSING ARGUMENTS

Leading the closing for the defense, attorney Alexander Keane called into question the timeline of events as presented by the victims’ mother during her Monday testimony. He also honed in on the eight months between when the abuse occurred and when it first was reported, suggesting what the girls remembered could have waned over time.

Keane also noted that a medical examination found no evidence of scar tissue or swelling.

This fact was mentioned during the testimony of Malmer, who said that given the time between when the abuse occurred and when an examination on the girls was completed, it was normal not to see damage. Had the examination been done directly after the abuse took place, Malmer suggested the examination may have yielded different results.

In her closing, Barber said the girls were expected by their mother to “mind him (Mack) and pay attention to him” and told them to “do what he told them” since Mack was acting as their babysitter. She further illustrated, “He was an authority figure in their life,” to drive home her point that the girls looked up to Mack. She again reiterated that threats were made to maintain the girls’ silence.

“She (victim) told you he (Mack) had shown her gun. He threatened her not to tell. He told her he would kill her family if she told,” Barber said.

Following the guilty verdicts, Barber said, “These cases are very tough for jurors to sit and listen to. Obviously, the subject matter is very disturbing. And we are pleased that the jury gave their time and attention and took time away from their lives to come and do their civic duty and render the verdict that they did.”

Mack will be sentenced in three weeks.

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