YOUNGSTOWN — The trial date for a teen accused of murder in connection to the November shooting death of another teen is set for 9 a.m. May 1.

A pretrial hearing took place Monday in the chambers of Mahoning Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick during which the parties agreed there was “no issue” as to whether Masiahs Gentry, 14, of Youngstown, is competent to stand trial, according to Anissa Modarelli, county assistant prosecutor, and John Shultz, the boy’s attorney.

But “there is a dispute as to the facts surrounding the basis of the charge,” and that is the reason the case is headed for trial, Shultz said.

Gentry faces a charge of murder and a gun specification, as well as a specification accusing him of being a “serious youthful offender” in connection to the shooting death of East Middle School eighth-grader Logan Taylor, 14. Gentry was 13 at the time of the shooting, but turned 14 in February.

If he is convicted of murder, he could serve time in an Ohio Department of Youth Services facility, a type of juvenile lockup, until the age of 21. If found to be a serious youthful offender, he also could be transferred to adult prison to continue his sentence.

Gentry is being held in the Martin P. Joyce Juvenile Justice Center pending trial, Shultz said.

At Gentry’s hearing in January, Dellick ordered a competency evaluation and had his parents sign forms to release his school and medical records for that purpose. She also cautioned Gentry to speak only to his attorney, and informed his parents that anything he says to them about the case is not protected under the Fifth Amendment and could be admissible in court.

Logan was shot to death around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 13 at a home in the 200 block of East Lucius Avenue on Youngstown’s South Side.

A news release from the Youngstown Police Department states the shooting initially appeared to be a matter of negligence. But after reviewing evidence with the Mahoning County Coroner’s Office, the Cuyahoga County forensic pathologist and the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, police and the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office juvenile division determined a murder charge was most appropriate.

ANOTHER CHILD

Less than one month earlier, another child was killed, also involving a gun in the city. De’Vonte Ja’Ton Housely Jr., 7, died Oct. 22 after being shot at a home in the 300 block of Marmion Avenue on the South Side. Marmion and East Lucius avenues are five streets apart.

De’Vonte’s mother, Marquaysha A. Driver, 30, of Marmion Avenue, was arraigned last week in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court in De’Vonte’s death. She was released after posting a $20,000 bond.

Driver was indicted on charges of involuntary manslaughter and four counts of child endangering. If convicted, she could get more than 10 years in prison.

De’Vonte was pronounced dead early Oct. 22 at St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital after the shooting. Youngstown police said afterward they believed the death was an “accidental shooting” and would confer with prosecutors about possible charges.

He was a second-grade student at Youngstown Community School.

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